altar boy

noun

1. a male altar server.

altar boy

noun

1. RC Church Church of England a boy serving as an acolyte

Word History and Origins

Origin of altar boy¹

First recorded in 1765–75

Example Sentences

The church where Pope Leo XIV attended mass as a child and served as an altar boy is now an empty shell.

Read more on BBC

When her father numbs his pain with his wife’s prescription and sadly croons a song from when he was an altar boy, Piper can only roll her eyes and excuse herself from the room.

Read more on Salon

Feeling the full weight of his situation, the former altar boy scrawls a short letter to his family — “I’m so sorry. I love you all.” — just before raising the handgun to his temple.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

This was Rivers unplugged, foul-mouthed in a way that made me feel like a squeamish altar boy.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

She and Tony have a fraught relationship given Tony’s checkered past, which, we come to realize, has something to do with a horrifying experience from his days as an altar boy.

Read more on New York Times