Colloquial Variant guide

best boy

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK, US: /ˈbɛstˌbɔɪ/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The first assistant to either the key grip (in charge of camera placement and movement) or the gaffer (in charge of lighting and electrics).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Qualifier: film production

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A reader or viewer's preferred male character.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: slang

Topics: lifestyle

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

5 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Finnish: valaistusteknikko — film jargon: first assistant to either the key grip or the gaffer
  • Finnish: näyttämöteknikko — film jargon: first assistant to either the key grip or the gaffer
  • French: second électricien — film jargon: first assistant to either the key grip or the gaffer
  • Russian: пе́рвый помо́щник главного электрика (pérvyj pomóščnik glavnovo elektrika) — film jargon: first assistant to either the key grip or the gaffer
  • Russian: помо́щник осветителя (pomóščnik osvetitelja) — film jargon: first assistant to either the key grip or the gaffer