boys
English meaning: Boys
Definition
Boys is the plural of boy, young male children.
Example
“The boys played football outside.”
Another example: “The boys spent the afternoon kicking a football around the park.”
Usage — When, Where & How
Everyday word for young or adolescent males; informal 'boys' can also mean a group of male friends ('a night out with the boys'). 'The boys in blue' is informal for the police.
Etymology & Origin
English — Origin & History
Of uncertain origin; as the 'y' follows a vowel, the plural adds '-s'.
Synonyms
- lads
- youths
Antonyms / Opposites
Related Words
Common Collocations
- little boys
- teenage boys
- boys and girls
- boys' school
- one of the boys
Word Forms
boy (sing.); boys (pl.)
Word Tools
Literary Heritage
“To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.”
/To thine own self be true/
“Be honest with yourself — and as naturally as night follows day, you will be unable to be false to others.”
“I'm nobody! Who are you? Are you nobody, too?”
/I'm nobody! Who are you?/
“I am nobody — and that quiet anonymity is more honest than the noise of public fame.”
Images
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Language information
- Language
- English
- English
- Script
- Latin
- Family
- Indo-European
- Speakers
- 1.5B