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HOW TO PRONOUNCE

Bad Boy

American English · Video pronunciation

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American Pronunciation Guide · 0:39
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What does Bad Boy mean?

noun

  1. A man whose rebellious nature makes him dangerous or attractive.
  2. (slang) A male criminal.
  3. (figuratively, slang) An undesirable or difficult task.
More meanings (2)

noun

  1. (slang) A powerful or impressive product or item.
  2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see bad, boy.

Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0

IPA pronunciation

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In the pages of books

See this word in context.

People say you are growing up to be a bad boy, and that ain’t just to us.’
Willa CatherMy ÁntoniaProject Gutenberg ebook #242
As well sentimentalize over necessary schoolboy punishment, or over father paddy-whacking little Willie when little Willie has been a bad boy.
Stewart Edward WhiteThe Land of FootprintsProject Gutenberg ebook #1378
More book examples (3)
‘I have forgotten,’ said Dora, still turning the button round and round, ‘what relation Agnes is to you, you dear bad boy.’
Charles DickensDavid CopperfieldProject Gutenberg ebook #766
In the little stories manufactured for children, the good boy ended in a Coach-and-four, and the bad boy in a ride to Tyburn.
James NasmythJames Nasmyth, Engineer: An AutobiographyProject Gutenberg ebook #476
With equal truth it may be said that, without a single exception, flogging makes a good boy bad, and a bad boy worse.
Pye Henry ChavasseAdvice to a Mother on the Management of Her ChildrenProject Gutenberg ebook #6595