office boy

American  

noun

• office boys
  plural

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

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office boy British  

noun

1. a former name for office junior

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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

His parents could not afford to send him to college, but he attended night classes at the University of Chicago while working as a proofreader and office boy for The Chicago Sun-Times.

From New York Times ● Jan. 9, 2023

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 5, 2021

But her family soon bounced back, her mother becoming a successful interior designer while her father worked his way from office boy to director at a paint company.

From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2017

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