bellboy

American  

[bel-boi] / ˈbɛlˌbɔɪ /

noun

• bellboys
  plural

1. a bellhop.

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bellboy British  

/ ˈbɛlˌbɔɪ /

noun

1. Also called (US and Canadian): bellhop. a man or boy employed in a hotel, club, etc, to carry luggage and answer calls for service; page; porter

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• bellboys
  plural

Etymology

Origin of bellboy

An Americanism dating back to 1830–40; bell ¹ + boy

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bellboy bellboys

Somehow, McCarthy’s assurance makes these clichés seem new again, donning them as naturally as O’Connell’s gawky bellboy wearing an old-fashioned red cap.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 30, 2026

“He cut it out of the wall with a chisel. A bellboy even helped load the pieces in a truck.”

From The Guardian ● Mar. 23, 2020

And now they stand in some hotel lobby in Turin, shouting at the proprietor while a bellboy waits, holding the elevator.

From The New Yorker ● Jun. 12, 2017

This was, apparently, his idea — and the bellboy, whose name tag reads “JC,” seems to be in on the plan.

From New York Times ● Nov. 21, 2016

The puzzled driver spoke to the bellboy in Russian and made concerned gestures toward his cargo.

From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood

During summers, the children and their father worked as bellboys and valets at the Greenbrier, an expansive resort nearby.

From Washington Post ● May 28, 2021

A year later, 14 women replaced the bellboys.

From New York Times ● Mar. 2, 2017

V.A.S. frequently enlists bartenders, doormen, bellboys, waitresses and cabbies in games — people a client is unlikely to think are in on the ruse.

From New York Times ● Jan. 23, 2011

After 20 years, Shuman and the Sherman's bellboys have become special friends, though Shuman is a notoriously parsimonious tipper.

From Time Magazine Archive

The other bellboys were taking these risks, and I fell in.

From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright