cabin boy

American  

noun

1. a boy employed as a servant for the officers and passengers on a ship.

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cabin boy British  

noun

1. a boy who waits on the officers and passengers of a ship

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Etymology

Origin of cabin boy

First recorded in 1720–30

Example Sentences

The 1884 death of a cabin boy in a lifeboat was no accident.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 3, 2025

When the storm that sank the ship surged again, a young cabin boy was left stranded.

From National Geographic • Aug. 18, 2023

Here you have this man who goes to the Arctic at 18 as a cabin boy for Commander Peary.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 28, 2022

Completed in 1920, the Textile Building was the creation of George Backer, a rags-to-riches builder who came to New York from Russia as a cabin boy in 1891.

From New York Times • Apr. 29, 2022

“They must’ve finally made the connection between Uncle Charley Lyons and the Cubano cabin boy Eduardo Leones. We need to move fast.”

From "The Smartest Kid in the Universe" by Chris Grabenstein