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
The church where Pope Leo XIV attended mass as a child and served as an altar boy is now an empty shell.
From BBC • May 8, 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
Lou went to Mass every Sunday, served as an altar boy, and attended BVM’s grammar school before moving on to Father Judge High School, which had three thousand students.
From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove
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.
