# homeboy

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈhoʊm.bɔɪ/ · frequency rank #37,492

## Definitions
1. Someone, particularly a male acquaintance, from one’s hometown.
2. A close friend or fellow member of a youth gang.
3. A person.

## Etymology
20th-century African-American urban slang. Originated from travelers to metropolitan areas derived from American English as a blend of hometown + boy. However, modern use is mostly by African-Americans and Latinos in the United States.

## Easily confused with
- **homey** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/homeboy-vs-homey)
- **homely** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/homeboy-vs-homely)

## Common misspellings (10)
`hhomeboy`, `hmoeboy`, `hoemboy`, `hombeoy`, `homebboy`, `homeboyy`, `homebyo`, `homeoby`, `hommeboy`, `ohmeboy`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/homeboy