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boyfriend

American  
[boi-frend] / ˈbɔɪˌfrɛnd /

noun

  1. a frequent or favorite male companion; beau.

  2. a male friend.

  3. a male lover.

adjective

  1. pertaining to or noting clothing and accessories for women that are inspired by men's fashions.

    roomy and comfortable boyfriend jeans;

    an oversize boyfriend watch.
boyfriend British  
/ ˈbɔɪˌfrɛnd /

noun

  1. a male friend with whom a person is romantically or sexually involved; sweetheart or lover

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of boyfriend

First recorded in 1895–1900; boy + friend

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

But “Pretty in Pink” fails to truly acknowledge that Andie operates at a much more consequential social disadvantage than her new boyfriend.

From Salon

He lured her to Mexico City and became known as her boyfriend around the Trotsky house.

From The Wall Street Journal

The audience seem to know every word - with the whole room reverberating to the declarative, "I don't need a boyfriend", that crops up in the second verse of Nice To Each Other.

From BBC

Aparecida was still looking for her cousin's two children, ages six and nine, and boyfriend.

From Barron's

Aparecida was still looking through the rubble for her cousin's two children, ages six and nine, and boyfriend.

From Barron's

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.