boyfriendとは 意味・読み方・使い方

別の表記

• boy friend, boy-friend (dated)
• boifriend (Internet slang)

語源

From boy +‎ friend.

発音

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

名詞

boyfriend (plural boyfriends)

1. A male partner in an unmarried romantic relationship.

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

   I was playing the drums and my boyfriend was playing the electric guitar.

   • 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.

   • 2024 October 24, Jocelyn Solis-Moreira, “More straight couples are calling each other partner. Here’s why”, in CNN‎:

     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 December 17, Ellen McAlpine and Noelle Ike, “The 58 best gifts for boyfriends in 2025”, in CNN‎:

     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.

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.

使用する際の注意点

• 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.

派生語

派生した語

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

動詞

boyfriend (third-person singular simple present boyfriends, present participle boyfriending, simple past and past participle boyfriended) (ambitransitive, informal, rare)

1. To be a boyfriend to (someone).

   Coordinate term: girlfriend

   • 1996 February 23, Al Aab - CNED/W94, “. dr. love”, in soc.culture.egyptian‎ (Usenet), archived from the original on 6 December 2025:

     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 ) :

   • 2001 April 20, Nick Gravel, “Julie Strain flicks?”, in alt.amazon-women.admirers‎ (Usenet), archived from the original on 6 December 2025:

     That says the boyfriend WAS an NPC Promoter/Judge AT THE TIME he was 'boyfriending' her, and she was SIXTEEN.

   • 2002 January 17, Alberto Monteiro, “My son and the future...”, in bit.listserv.down-syn‎ (Usenet), archived from the original on 6 December 2025:

     *I* married exactly 4 years after I began "boyfriending" with Silvana, and my 2nd daughter Natalia was born exactly 31 years after me :-PPPPPPPPPP

2. To have (someone) as a boyfriend.

   Coordinate term: girlfriend

   • 1989, Philip Callow, “Epilogue”, in The Painter’s Confessions, London: Allison & Busby, published 1991, →ISBN, page 285:

     Rina is out boyfriending, God help us. The last one she brought back was terrible.

   • 2007, Charlotte Mendelson, chapter 5, in When We Were Bad, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin Company, →ISBN, pages 52–53:

     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.

   • 2008, Dana Reinhardt, How to Build a House: A Novel, New York, N.Y.: Wendy Lamb Books, →ISBN, page 104:

     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.

アナグラム

• friend boy, friendboy

使用する際の注意点

See usage notes at boyfriend.

アナグラム

• friend boy, friendboy