Meaning & use

boner

noun·Everyday

Vulgar slang for an erection of the penis.

See it in a sentence

The teen comedy relied on jokes about boners for cheap laughs.

He was embarrassed and quickly sat down to hide his boner.

A note on using this word

In older, more informal usage, "boner" also meant a silly or embarrassing mistake, a sense still occasionally heard today.

Words with a similar meaning

erection

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Another way to use it

2. noun

Dated informal: a silly or embarrassing mistake.

He pulled a real boner by calling the client by the wrong name.

Make it your own

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