homeboy
Americannoun
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a person from the same locality as oneself.
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a close friend or fellow gang member.
noun
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a close friend
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a person from one's home town or neighbourhood
Usage
What does homeboy mean? Homeboy is a slang term for a close male friend. It can refer to a boy or a man. The word homegirl is used in the same way to refer to a close female friend. Shortened, gender-neutral versions of these terms include homie and homey, which are perhaps even more commonly used. All of these terms can be used to refer to a friend, as in This is my homeboy Russel, or as a term of address for one, as in Hey, homeboy! These terms are all associated with urban and hip hop culture and are primarily used by members of African American and Latinx communities in the U. S. They commonly refer to a close friend who’s from the same neighborhood. In some cases, the words are used to refer to a fellow gang member. However, the terms have entered mainstream use and usually simply refer to a close friend. Homeboy is frequently used with a possessive pronoun, as in my homeboy. Example: I’m having a night out with just me and my homeboys.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of homeboy
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“I remembered my homeboy that lived in the neighborhood. I had to go through some woods to his house with the album,” he said.
From Seattle Times • Aug. 7, 2023
We attended the same middle school, lost touch during our high school years, and then reunited when she moved two doors down from me with her cousin, my homeboy.
From Salon • Nov. 24, 2022
“Looks like homeboy is doing a little too good,” Tolbert said.
From New York Times • Nov. 13, 2021
“Don’t accuse me of killing my homeboy, dude,” Cooley snapped at one of them.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 29, 2021
We all knew, that no matter what, I wasn’t going to rat on my homeboy.
From "The Freedom Writers Diary" by The Freedom Writers
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
