altar boy

American  

noun

• altar boys
  plural

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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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• altar boys
  plural

Etymology

Origin of altar boy

First recorded in 1765–75

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

altar boy

A former altar boy, Burnham has said his Catholic upbringing had a big impact on his life.

From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026

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

He was also an altar boy for seven years, although that was a lot more stressful.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 20, 2024

“You were an altar boy, I guess,” I said.

From "Black Like Me" by John Howard Griffin