Boys will be boys

Cultural

Children can be expected to act in a childish way.

boys will be boys Idioms

One can expect boys to act childishly or misbehave, as in We told the kids not to eat in the living room, but when we got home there was a big mess there—oh well, boys will be boys. This term came from a Latin proverb, translated as “Children [boys] are children [boys] and do childish things.” In English it was first recorded in 1589.

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“Boys will be boys” is often applied to grown men who act childishly.

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.

Mr. Garner said, “Boys will be boys! Join the fun.”

From Literature

“How powerful is that? How profound is that? Boys will be boys, and there is nothing wrong with that.”

From Los Angeles Times

“How about that? How powerful is that? How profound is that? Boys will be boys and there is nothing wrong with that.”

From Los Angeles Times

"It's due to the normalisation of these situations, the attitude that boys will be boys and it's something women should put up with," added Rhiannon, who is from Llanelli.

From BBC

“Boys will be boys, and we will let their public sparring continue,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday.

From Los Angeles Times

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