office boy

American  

noun

office boys plural

1. a person, traditionally a boy, employed in an office to run errands, do odd jobs, etc.

---

office boy British  

noun

1. a former name for office junior

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• office boys
  plural

Etymology

Origin of office boy

First recorded in 1840–50

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

office boy

Having started work aged 16 as an office boy in Trafford Park, he went on to become a director of a building firm in Salford.

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2024

The Davies family’s inherited wealth was derived from Ralph K. Davies, who began at Standard Oil of California as a 15-year-old office boy and rose to become the youngest director in the company’s history.

From New York Times ● Jun. 22, 2023

Family and coworkers impede a secretary’s romance with an office boy.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 5, 2021

Mr. Hamilton, who had no interest in following his father into the British diplomatic service, entered films at 17 as a studio office boy.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 21, 2016

An office boy came along to direct me.

From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison