What we mean by boys (7)

I believe the answer is:

persons

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'what we' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this definition defines the answer.

'by boys' is the wordplay.
'by' becomes 'per' (I've seen this in another clue).
'boys' becomes 'sons' ('son' can be a synonym of 'boy').
'per'+'sons'='PERSONS'

'mean' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for persons that I've seen before include "People" , "Men and women" .)

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