Boy Scout

American  

noun

1. a member of an organization of boys BoyScouts, founded in England in 1908 by Lieutenant General Sir Robert S. S. Baden-Powell, that seeks to develop certain skills in its members, as well as character, self-reliance, and usefulness to others.

2. (lowercase) a member of any similar society elsewhere.

3. (lowercase) a person whose deeds, obliging personality, idealism, etc., exceed normal expectations.

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boy scout British  

noun

1. See Scout

2. informal an apparently virtuous and innocent person

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Sensitive Note

Use of boy scout to mean “someone who is obliging and idealistic” usually implies that the person is naive or unworldly.

Etymology

Origin of Boy Scout

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

The asphalt dead-ends, but there’s a gravel driveway heading to the Boy Scout camp.

From Literature

If they let in the Boy Scouts, then everyone else who owned property and equipment around the lake wanted to retrieve their belongings, too.

From Literature

Guys are always asking me if I took tae kwon do, or went to camp, or was in Boy Scouts with them last year.

From Literature

Boomer must have drawn a boy’s name, because all his compliments came right out of the Boy Scout Rules—thrifty, clean, loyal.

From Literature

The Boy Scouts emerged from bankruptcy in 2023 with a victims’ compensation trust funded with at least $2.5 billion in pledged assets, including payments from insurers to settle their coverage obligations.

From The Wall Street Journal