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

See Examples For:

cabin boy

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

At the age of 15 he took a job as a cabin boy on a steamer.

From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2018

Jonathan got himself a job on a ship, as a cabin boy.

From I Survived the American Revolution, 1776 by Lauren Tarshis