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
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
“I still feel like the altar boy who is goofing on the priest,” he insists.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 20, 2024
A priest in a black robe entered behind the last altar boy.
From "Krik? Krak!" by Edwidge Danticat
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.
