altar boy
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of altar boy
First recorded in 1765–75
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A former altar boy, he grew up as one of seven children in Nairobi informal settlements, and his parents scraped together enough to send him to school and university, where he studied criminology.
From Barron's ● Jul. 13, 2026
His first language was Spanish, while my excuse is that I was an altar boy, well-trained by the same priest who celebrated my wedding years later.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026
While the other candidates pressed their palms against the podiums, ready to pounce on every question, Becerra clasped his hands like an altar boy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 23, 2026
Born in Chicago in 1955 to parents of Spanish and Franco-Italian descent, Prevost served as an altar boy and was ordained as a priest in 1982.
From BBC ● May 8, 2025
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
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
