bad boy

noun

: a person who flouts convention
a literary bad boy

Examples of bad boy in a Sentence

He has become known as the bad boy of the American television industry.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Barton takes on the role of Fletch, the camp’s bad boy and Sage’s love interest, in Camp Rock 3. — Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Aug. 2026 Luckily for all parties involved, these bad boys have been in the storage shed outside Sanford Stadium presumably since the bus parked on the ride back from this game 15 years ago. — Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 1 Aug. 2026 What a movie star needs (among other qualities) is anger, and Sessa plays Tony as an eager, voluble, simmering bad boy who is playing out his inner turmoil in the real world. — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 29 July 2026 Lastly, Mark Salling, who played the series’ bad boy Puck, died of an apparent suicide at 35 in 2018. — Giovana Gelhoren, InStyle, 25 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for bad boy

Word History

First Known Use

1860, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bad boy was in 1860

Rhymes for bad boy

See All Rhymes for bad boy

Browse Nearby Words

bad books
bad boy
bad breath
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bad boy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bad%20boy. Accessed 18 Aug. 2026.

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