Boy Scout

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noun

a member of an organization of boys (Boy Scouts ), 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.

(lowercase) a member of any similar society elsewhere.

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

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Origin of Boy Scout

First recorded in 1905–10

usage note for Boy Scout

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

Words nearby Boy Scout

Boynton Beach, boyo, Boyoma Falls, boy racer, Boys' Brigade, Boy Scout, Boy Scouts of America, boysenberry, boy shorts, Boys will be boys, boysy

How to use Boy Scout in a sentence

Even as a child, he was a straight arrow with a sense of duty, honor and country, and he carried that Boy Scout quality into adulthood.
America needed a space race hero. John Glenn was the obvious choice.|Douglas Brinkley|May 28, 2021|Washington Post
The then 10-year-old Boy Scout was with his cousin a few days after the massacre when they spotted wooden crates the size of pianos strewn about at the edge of the cemetery.
To find answers about the 1921 race massacre, Tulsa digs up its painful past|Helen Thompson|May 27, 2021|Science News
He was also involved with local Boy Scout troops and started a Native-inspired Scouting society called the Mic-O-Say Tribe.
‘End racism,’ the NFL implored. So what about that Chiefs’ name?|Liz Clarke|February 5, 2021|Washington Post
In the 90s, it kept gay men out of leadership roles in the Boy Scouts of America.
Freaking Out About Age Gaps in Gay Relationships Is Homophobic|Samantha Allen|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST

The brokers then scout out potential “crew members” who can earn substantial discounts for working the journey.
Ghost Ships of the Mediterranean|Barbie Latza Nadeau|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
We did a movie down in Durango — Great Scout and Cat House Thursday.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile|Robert Ward|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
This is Bey and Nicki at their most lyrically masochistic, and boy, is it a treat.
The 14 Best Songs of 2014: Bobby Shmurda, Future Islands, Drake, and More|Marlow Stern|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Interviews in Serial (including ones from Adnan) do acknowledge that Jay was known as a resident bad boy at Woodlawn High School.
The Deal With Serial’s Jay? He’s Pissed Off, Mucks Up Our Timeline|Emily Shire|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A little boy of four was moved to passionate grief at the sight of a dead dog taken from a pond.
Children's Ways|James Sully
You see, I'd always thought of him as the boy whom Great-aunt Lucia described having seen.
The Boarded-Up House|Augusta Huiell Seaman
Poor Squinty ran and tried to hide under the straw, for he knew the boy was talking about him.
Squinty the Comical Pig|Richard Barnum
A look of passion came into the face of the watching boy, and again he fingered his revolver.
The Courier of the Ozarks|Byron A. Dunn
Several times after this the boy and his sisters came to look down into the pig pen.
Squinty the Comical Pig|Richard Barnum

British Dictionary definitions for Boy Scout

boy scout

noun

See Scout

US and Canadian informal an apparently virtuous and innocent person

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012