schoolboy

schoolboy — noun

1. a male child or teenager who regularly goes to classes at a school

1.nounA2
Definition

a male child or teenager who regularly goes to classes at a school

Example

Theo, a schoolboy of eight, forgot his lunchbox on his first day at school.

appositive after a name to give age or status

The schoolboys in Indra's class race to the playground every afternoon.

plural form with prepositional phrase

Common collocations
  • young schoolboy
  • little schoolboy
  • former schoolboy
  • schoolboy uniform
Synonyms
  • pupil

    more common in British English; refers to any student at a school, not specifying gender

  • student

    broader term that covers learners of all ages, from primary to university

  • schoolchild

    gender-neutral; preferred for mixed groups and general references

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

a/an/the schoolboy

schoolboys (plural)

schoolboy's (possessive)

Common Mistakes

He is a schoolboy student.
He is a schoolboy.
'schoolboy' already means a boy at school; adding 'student' is redundant.
The schoolboys and schoolgirls went on a trip.' (technically correct but unnatural for mixed groups)
The schoolchildren went on a trip.
for mixed-gender groups, use 'schoolchildren'.

schoolboy — adjective

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe someone who learns at a school, but they differ in gender, age, and formality. Schoolboy specifies a male child or teenager attending school and is the most specific of the group. Pupil is widely used in British English for learners in primary and secondary school, especially when referring to a teacher's class ('the teacher has 30 pupils'). Student is the broadest term — it covers anyone studying from primary through university and is the standard word in American English. Schoolchild is a gender-neutral, inclusive term for a child attending school, ideal when you do not want to specify gender or age. Example: 'The head teacher greeted each pupil at the gate, including the shy schoolboy in the blue coat.' 'As a schoolchild, Felipe walked three kilometres to school every morning.'

schoolboy ↗pupil ↗student ↗schoolchild ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • schoolboy and schoolgirl
  • former schoolboy
  • old schoolboy

Prepositions

  • at school
  • in school

Etymology

GreekLatinOld EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Schoolboy is formed from two Old English words: scōl (meaning 'place of instruction', from Latin schola, from Greek skholē 'leisure, discussion, lecture') and boy (from Middle English boie 'male child, servant', of uncertain origin). The compound first appeared in English during the 1500s. The adjective sense developed in the 1800s, extending the literal meaning to describe qualities or behaviours associated with being a young male student.