altar boy
Americannoun
noun
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.
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
He was also an altar boy for seven years, although that was a lot more stressful.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 20, 2024
The plaintiff was an altar boy at Ascension Catholic Church in Chesterfield, Missouri.
From Seattle Times • Jun. 9, 2023
During the last three years of grammar school, I was regularly asked to ‘serve’ as an altar boy.
From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez
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.
