busboy

American  

[buhs-boi] / ˈbʌsˌbɔɪ /

Or bus boy

noun

1. a waiter's helper in a restaurant or other public dining room.

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Etymology

Origin of busboy

1910–15, bus- short for omnibus waiter's helper ( omnibus ) + boy

Example Sentences

Hazrat, who started as a busboy, served the hotel for five decades; in a different setting, his dedication and diligence might eventually have lofted him to a leadership role.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 20, 2025

Mayor Goldie, having worked his way up the ladder from busboy to civic leader, is trying to fix that clock so his citizens can use it.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 30, 2025

Boss has worked as a server at the late Thaiger Room and Rom Mai Thai; JP tended bar at Pestle Rock and, at one point, worked as a busboy at a Vegas casino.

From Seattle Times • May 9, 2024

If he would work for $2.60 an hour — then 30 cents below the minimum wage — the manager said, they could use a busboy.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 19, 2023

That why he worked so many odd jobs—shoe shiner during the day, busboy at one of the local bars at night, and even a janitor at Mount Carmel.

From "The Parker Inheritance" by Varian Johnson