boyfriend

• boy friend (dated)
• boy-friend (dated)

From boy +‎ friend.

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈbɔɪˌfɹɛnd/, /ˈbɔɪfɹənd/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

boyfriend (plural boyfriends)

1. A male partner in an unmarried romantic relationship.

   Coordinate terms: fiancé, girlfriend, enbyfriend, husband, lover, significant other

   • 2012, “Boyfriend”, performed by Justin Bieber:

     If I was your boyfriend, I’d never let you go / I can take you places you ain’t never been before.

2. A male friend.

   Synonyms: (slang) guyfriend, buddy, pal, mate; see also Thesaurus:friend

3. (often attributively) A style of women's clothing that draws heavily from corresponding men's garments.^Wikipedia

In contrast to its female equivalent, girlfriend, which is often used to describe a woman's close female friend, the term is not used in reference to non-romantic relationships involving males. Separating the word into its two components boy friend avoids the romantic implication nowadays, although boy friend used to mean the same as boyfriend does now. However, British and Australian men usually refer to a male friend as a mate. Similarly, Americans and Canadians use the term buddy. It is also common for American and Canadian women to differentiate non-romantic male friends from romantic ones by referring to them as being their guy friend.

Boyfriend is a relatively modern term, and often has implications of a sexual relationship outside of marriage. In the past, such relationships were actually illegal, and were often considered immoral. With the sexual revolution, however, such relationships became normal in Western countries. As a result, the term is often used today without negative implications.

An adult man in a non-marital romantic relationship is sometimes referred to instead as a significant other or partner, especially if the two partners are living together. Because boyfriend and partner mean different things to different people, the distinctions between the terms are subjective, and which term is used in a relationship will ultimately be determined by personal preference.

• → German: Boyfriend
• → Hindi: बॉयफ़्रेंड (bŏyfreṇḍ)
• → Japanese: ボーイフレンド (bōifurendo)
• → Korean: 보이프렌드 (boipeurendeu)
• → Louisiana Creole: boyfrìnn
• → Russian: бойфре́нд (bojfrɛ́nd)
• → Urdu: بایفْرینْڈ (bayfrenḍ)

• friend boy, friendboy

From English boyfriend.

• IPA^(key): /ˈboi̯frend/, [ˈbo̞i̯fre̞nd]

boyfriend (rare)

1. boyfriend

• poikakaveri
• poikaystävä

• “boyfriend”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎ (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-02