boyfriend

boyfriend

See also: Boyfriend, boy-friend, and boy friend

English

Alternative forms

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

Etymology

From boy +‎ friend.

Pronunciation

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

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Noun

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

Usage notes

In contrast to its female equivalent, girlfriend, which is also often used to describe a woman's close female friends, the term is not that often used in reference to non-romantic relationships. Boyfriend is a relatively modern term, and in the past has had implications of an illicit relationship (as sexual and romantic relationships outside marriage were more commonly frowned upon). It is now a generally accepted term and has no negative implications per se.

An adult man in a non-marital 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.

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.

Derived terms

• boyfriendable
• boyfriend-ish
• boyfriend jeans
• boyfriend loophole
• do you have a boyfriend
• ex-boyfriend
• friendboy
• live-in boyfriend

 

Descendants

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

Translations

male partner in a romantic relationship

Afrikaans: kêrel Albanian: dashur (sq) m, dashnor (sq) m Arabic: خَلِيل‎ m (ḵalīl), رَفِيق‎ m (rafīq) Moroccan Arabic: صْحاب‎ m (ṣḥæb) Armenian: ընկեր (hy) (ənker) Azerbaijani: sevgili (az), istəkli Basque: mutil-lagun (eu) Belarusian: каха́нак m (kaxának), хло́пец m (xlópjec), ся́бар m (sjábar), пры́яцель m (prýjacjelʹ) Bengali: প্রেমিক (bn) (premik) Bulgarian: га́дже (bg) n (gádže) (boyfriend or girlfriend), прия́тел (bg) m (prijátel), момче́ (bg) n (momčé) Burmese: ရည်းစား (my) (rany:ca:) (boyfriend or girlfriend) Catalan: xicot (ca) m, nòvio (ca) m Chinese: Cantonese: 男朋友 (naam4 pang4 jau5), 條仔 (yue) (tiu4 jai2) Mandarin: 男朋友 (zh) (nánpéngyou), (boyfriend or girlfriend) 對象／对象 (zh) (duìxiàng) Czech: přítel (cs) m, kluk (cs) m, milenec (cs) m Danish: kæreste (da) Dutch: vriend (nl) m, lief (nl) n Elfdalian: tjärest m, flaks m Esperanto: koramiko Estonian: poiss (et), poissõber, kavaler (dated) Faroese: sjeikur m Finnish: poikaystävä (fi), poikakaveri (boy), miesystävä (fi) (adult) French: mon/ton/son ami (fr) m, petit ami (fr) m (dated, adolescents), mon/ton/son copain (fr) m, petit copain (fr) m (dated, adolescents), chum (fr) m (Quebec), mec (fr) m (adolescents), keum (fr) m (adolescents), chéri (fr) m, compagnon (fr) m (adults), partenaire (fr) m (adults), amoureux (fr) m, sigisbée (fr) m Galician: noivo (gl) m, mozo (gl) m Georgian: შეყვარებული (šeq̇varebuli), მეგობარი ბიჭი (megobari bič̣i), მეგობარი კაცი (megobari ḳaci) German: mein/dein/ihr/sein Freund (de) m, Boyfriend m, fester Freund m Greek: γκόμενος (el) m (gkómenos) Greenlandic: angutaat Guaraní: kichiha Hebrew: חָבֵר‎ (he) m (khavér) Hindi: बॉयफ़्रेंड m (bŏyfreṇḍ), प्रेमी (hi) m (premī) (also lover), साथी (hi) (sāthī) (partner), प्रिय (hi) m (priy), पुरुष मित्र m (puruṣ mitra), मित्र (hi) m (mitra) (friend), दोस्त (hi) m (dost) (friend) Icelandic: kærasti (is) m Ido: amoratulo Interlingua: nuptio Irish: stócach m, buachaill (ga) m Italian: ragazzo (it) m, fidanzato (it) m Japanese: カレ (ja) (kare), 彼 (ja) (かれ, kare) (also "he" (pronoun)), 彼氏 (ja) (かれし, kareshi), カレシ (kareshi), ボーイフレンド (bōifurendo) Kapampangan: tau m, irug m Khmer: មិត្តប្រុស (mɨt proh) Korean: 남자친구(男子親舊) (ko) (namjachin'gu), 남친 (ko) (namchin) (colloquial), 보이프렌드 (ko) (boipeurendeu) (dated, before 1980s) Lao: ຜູ້ບ່າວ (phū bāo) Latin: amans (la), amator (la), amiculus, amicus (la) Lithuanian: vaikinas (lt) m, draugas (lt) m Louisiana Creole French: lamour, bo, kalin, boyfrìnn Luxembourgish: Frënd (lb) m Macedonian: момче (mk) n (momče), дечко m (dečko), пријател m (prijatel) Malagasy: sipa (mg) Malay: teman lelaki (ms) Mongolian: Cyrillic: найз банди (najz bandi) Navajo: hweʼeshkii Norman: galant m Northern Sami: irgi Norwegian: Bokmål: kjæreste (no) m Nynorsk: kjærast m, kjæraste m Persian: دوست‌پسر‎ (dust-pesar), حبیب‎ (fa) (habib) (lover) Polish: chłopak (pl) m, (colloquial, boyfriend or girlfriend) sympatia (pl) f, przyjaciel (pl) m Portuguese: namorado (pt) m Romanian: prieten (ro) m, iubit (ro) m, amant (ro) m Romansch: marus m Russian: кавале́р (ru) m (kavalér), друг (ru) m (drug), па́рень (ru) m (párenʹ), возлю́бленный (ru) m (vozljúblennyj), бойфре́нд (ru) m (bojfrɛ́nd), ухажёр (ru) m (uxažór), прия́тель (ru) m (prijátelʹ), дружо́к (ru) m (družók), молодой человек (ru) m (molodoj čelovek) Serbo-Croatian: Cyrillic: де̏чко m, при̏јатељ m Roman: dȅčko (sh) m, prȉjatelj (sh) m Slovak: priateľ m Slovene: fant (sl) m, prijatelj (sl) m Sorbian: Lower Sorbian: pśijaśel m Spanish: novio (es) m, (Chile) pololo (es) m, enamorado (es) m Swahili: mpenzi (sw) Swedish: pojkvän (sv), kille (sv), käraste (sv) c Tagalog: nobyo Thai: แฟน (th) (fɛɛn) (boyfriend or girlfriend) Tibetan: དགའ་རོགས (dga' rogs) Turkish: erkek arkadaş, sevgili (tr) Ukrainian: коха́ний (uk) m (koxányj), па́рубок (uk) m (párubok), хло́пець (uk) m (xlópecʹ), друг (uk) m (druh), при́ятель m (prýjatelʹ) Urdu: بایفْرینْڈ‎ m (bayfreṇḍ), حبیب‎ m (habīb) Venetian: moros (vec) m, moroxo (vec) m Vietnamese: bạn trai, (also girlfriend; lover) người yêu (vi) Walloon: galant (wa) m, madjopin (wa) m Welsh: cariad (cy) m (also girlfriend), sboner (cy) m (also girlfriend)

male friend

Arabic: صَدِيق‎ m (ṣadīq), رَفِيق‎ m (rafīq), زَمِيل‎ m (zamīl) Armenian: ընկեր (hy) (ənker) Catalan: amic (ca) m Chinese: Mandarin: (male friend) 男的朋友 (nán de péngyou), (buddy) (please verify) 哥們兒／哥们儿 (zh) (gēmenr) Czech: přítel (cs) m, kamarád (cs) m Esperanto: amikiĉo, viramiko Finnish: kaveri (fi), ystävä (fi) French: un ami (fr) m, un copain (fr) m German: ein Freund (de) m Icelandic: vinur (is) m Ido: amikulo (io) Italian: amico (it) m Kapampangan: lalaking kaluguran m Korean: 남사친 (namsachin) (slang) Latin: amicus (la) m Lithuanian: draugas (lt) Luxembourgish: Frënd (lb) m Malay: teman lelaki (ms), kawan lelaki Norwegian Bokmål: venn (no) m Polish: przyjaciel (pl) m, kumpel (pl) m Portuguese: amigo (pt) m Romanian: prieten (ro) m, amic (ro) m Russian: друг (ru) m (drug), прия́тель (ru) m (prijátelʹ), това́рищ (ru) m (továrišč) Spanish: amigo (es) m Swedish: killkompis (sv) c Turkish: arkadaş (tr) Venetian: amigo (vec) m Volapük: hiflen (vo)

Anagrams

• friend boy, friendboy

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Finnish

Etymology

From English boyfriend.

Pronunciation

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

Noun

boyfriend

1. (rare) boyfriend

Declension

Inflection of boyfriend (Kotus type 5/risti, no gradation)
nominative		boyfriend	boyfriendit
genitive		boyfriendin	boyfriendien
partitive		boyfriendiä	boyfriendejä
illative		boyfriendiin	boyfriendeihin
		singular	plural
nominative		boyfriend	boyfriendit
accusative	nom.	boyfriend	boyfriendit
	gen.	boyfriendin
genitive		boyfriendin	boyfriendien
partitive		boyfriendiä	boyfriendejä
inessive		boyfriendissä	boyfriendeissä
elative		boyfriendistä	boyfriendeistä
illative		boyfriendiin	boyfriendeihin
adessive		boyfriendillä	boyfriendeillä
ablative		boyfriendiltä	boyfriendeiltä
allative		boyfriendille	boyfriendeille
essive		boyfriendinä	boyfriendeinä
translative		boyfriendiksi	boyfriendeiksi
instructive		—	boyfriendein
abessive		boyfriendittä	boyfriendeittä
comitative		—	boyfriendeineen

Possessive forms of boyfriend (type risti)
possessor	singular	plural
1st person	boyfriendini	boyfriendimme
2nd person	boyfriendisi	boyfriendinne
3rd person	boyfriendinsä

Synonyms

• poikakaveri
• poikaystävä