From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishboyfriendboy‧friend /ˈbɔɪfrend/ ●●● S3 noun [countable] 1 GIRLFRIEND/BOYFRIENDa man that you are having a romantic relationship with → girlfriend2 → boyfriend jeans/cardigan/jacket etcTHESAURUSboyfriend a boy or man that you have a romantic relationship with, especially for a fairly long timeJosh was my first boyfriend.partner the person you are married to, or the person you are living with and having a sexual relationship withSweden allows gay partners to receive many of the same benefits that married couples get.Partners are also welcome.fiancé the man whom a woman is going to marryHer fiancé was killed in the war.lover someone who you have a sexual relationship with, without being married to themA few nights later, they became lovers.ex informal a woman’s former husband or boyfriendHer ex has caused a lot of trouble for her.old flame informal someone who was your boyfriend in the pastIn a box in the closet, I found love letters from one of her old flames.man informal a woman’s husband or boyfriendShe’ll always stand by her man.sweetheart old-fashioned the person that you loveThey were childhood sweethearts.beau old-fashioned a woman’s boyfriend or lover – a very old-fashioned useDoes she have a beau?toy boy informal humorous a young man who is having a sexual relationship with an older womanA woman with a toy boy gets a lot more disapproving looks than a man with a younger woman.sugar daddy informal an older man who gives a younger woman presents and money in return for their company and often for sexI can imagine her cashing checks from some mysterious sugar daddy.be going out with somebody if you are going out with a boy or man, you have him as your boyfriendShe’s been going out with Jack for a couple of months. → girlfriend
Examples from the Corpus
boyfriend• She must have a family, maybe even a boyfriend, all of them frantic, imagining her missing, even drowned.• I was talking to this guy at the bar and he starting asking me whether I was married or had a boyfriend.• The car was her and boyfriend Robert; s pride and joy.• She could have picked herself a better boyfriend.• Josh was my first boyfriend.• All she does is talk about her boyfriend.• So she talks to her boyfriend.• Her low-life boyfriend kicks her out, leaving her homeless but still sweet and pregnant.• Is he your new boyfriend?• Jackie Cooper also starred as her perplexed boyfriend.• Sarah's doing well and has a serious boyfriend, Michael, whom she plans to marry next year.• You and your boyfriend have a wonderful time.• If you slept with a boy and he was your boyfriend, it didn't really matter. 