boyfriend

noun, verb — 5 senses

boyfriend

noun

US /ˈbɔɪˌfɹɛnd/

Etymology From boy + friend.

1

A male partner in an unmarried romantic relationship.

  • I was playing the drums and my boyfriend was playing the electric guitar.
  • If I was your boyfriend, I’d never let you go / I can take you places you ain’t never been before.2012, “Boyfriend”, performed by Justin Bieber:
2 more examples
  • Referring to someone as your boyfriend or girlfriend suggests several things about your relationship, said Leah Carey, a sex and relationship coach and podcast host of “Good Girls Talk About Sex.”2024 October 24, Jocelyn Solis-Moreira, “More straight couples are calling each other partner. Here’s why”, in CNN, archived from the original on 10 Feb 2025:
  • Whether he’s interested in the latest tech, takes pride in his personal style or loves spending his free time in the gym, these meaningful gifts for boyfriends are sure to win his heart all over again.2024 December 17, Ellen McAlpine and Noelle Ike, “The 58 best gifts for boyfriends in 2025”, in CNN, archived from the original on 29 Jan 2025:
2

A male friend.

3

Fashion, Lifestyle Often A style of women's clothing that draws heavily from corresponding men's garments.

Derived terms
boyfriendable, boyfriend dick, boyfriend experience, boyfriendhood, boyfriendish, boyfriend-ish, boyfriend jeans, boyfriendless, boyfriend loophole, boyfriendship, boyfriendy, do you have a boyfriend, e-boyfriend, ex-boyfriend, friendboy, friend-boy, friend boy, Golden Retriever boyfriend, trophy boyfriend, unboyfriend

boyfriend

verb

Etymology From boy + friend.

1

Ambitransitive, Informal, Rare To be a boyfriend to (someone).

  • 3- the cutie pie, shadiah , the turk beaut who impoverished actor @imad Hemdi (of ikhmeem, upper egypt) when married together, who cost fereed il etresh his voice, when boyfriending her, who now is miT TereHa=veiled ( thanks 2 sheikh she@rawi ) :1996 February 23, Al Aab - CNED/W94, “. dr. love”, in soc.culture.egyptian (Usenet), archived from the original on 06 Dec 2025:
  • That says the boyfriend WAS an NPC Promoter/Judge AT THE TIME he was 'boyfriending' her, and she was SIXTEEN.2001 April 20, Nick Gravel, “Julie Strain flicks?”, in alt.amazon-women.admirers (Usenet), archived from the original on 06 Dec 2025:
1 more example
  • *I* married exactly 4 years after I began "boyfriending" with Silvana, and my 2nd daughter Natalia was born exactly 31 years after me :-PPPPPPPPPP2002 January 17, Alberto Monteiro, “My son and the future...”, in bit.listserv.down-syn (Usenet), archived from the original on 06 Dec 2025:
2

Ambitransitive, Informal, Rare To have (someone) as a boyfriend.

  • Rina is out boyfriending, God help us. The last one she brought back was terrible.1989, Philip Callow, “Epilogue”, in The Painter’s Confessions, London: Allison & Busby, published 1991, →ISBN, page 285:
  • Her husband hurries home after work; her sister, if not boyfriending or tired, takes the girls and Max on subsidized trips to the Rubins’ favorite café, where they are petted and given mugs of cappuccino foam.2007, Charlotte Mendelson, chapter 5, in When We Were Bad, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin Company, →ISBN, pages 52–53:
1 more example
  • Poor Seth. He has it bad for Marisol. He buzzes around her constantly like a big, sweaty fly, and she’s too nice to tell him to back off. Also, boyfriending him seems to do absolutely nothing to deter him.2008, Dana Reinhardt, How to Build a House: A Novel, New York, N.Y.: Wendy Lamb Books, →ISBN, page 104:

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.