altar boy

American  

noun

1. a male altar server.

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altar boy British  

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of altar boy

First recorded in 1765–75

Example Sentences

Scorsese grew up in New York’s Little Italy as a Catholic altar boy and aspiring priest who was also fascinated by the mafiosos that loomed large in his community.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 28, 2025

Born in Chicago in 1955 to parents of Spanish and Franco-Italian descent, Leo served as an altar boy and was ordained in 1982.

From BBC • Jul. 29, 2025

The plaintiff was an altar boy at Ascension Catholic Church in Chesterfield, Missouri.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 9, 2023

I know the Latin Mass. I memorized the Latin Mass as an altar boy.

From Washington Post • Feb. 13, 2023

He read books, slowly, mouthing words, holding them reverently like an altar boy the missal for the officiating priest.

From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez