valet
Americannoun
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a male servant who attends to the personal needs of his male employer, as by taking care of clothing or the like; manservant.
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a man who is employed for cleaning and pressing, laundering, and similar services for patrons of a hotel, passengers on a ship, etc.
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an attendant who parks cars for patrons at a hotel, restaurant, etc.
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a stand or rack for holding coats, hats, etc.
verb (used with or without object)
noun
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French name: valet de chambre. a manservant who acts as personal attendant to his employer, looking after his clothing, serving his meals, etc
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a manservant who attends to the requirements of patrons in a hotel, passengers on board ship, etc; steward
verb
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to act as a valet for (a person)
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(tr) to clean the bodywork and interior of (a car) as a professional service
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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valetsimple
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valetssimple
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have valetedperfect
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has valetedperfect
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am valetingprogressive
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are valetingprogressive
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is valetingprogressive
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have been valetingperfect progressive
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has been valetingperfect progressive
Past
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valetedsimple
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had valetedperfect
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was valetingprogressive
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were valetingprogressive
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had been valetingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of valet
1560–70; < French; Middle French va ( s ) let squire, equivalent to vas- (< Medieval Latin vassus servant) + -let -let; see vassal
Explanation
A valet is like a butler: a servant who attends to his employer's needs. A valet is a personal attendant to his employer, who might run errands, clean, cook, drive, or perform other tasks as needed. A valet works very closely with his employer and might even live on the premises. If you go to a fancy restaurant or hotel, you might have a valet park your car — but don't expect him to do your laundry!
Vocabulary lists containing valet
The Picture of Dorian Gray
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Life Is So Good
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Murder on the Orient Express
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
When a lady’s maid and a houseguest’s valet fall for each other, they form a plan to unite their incompatible employers.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 26, 2026
When a lady’s maid and a houseguest’s valet fall for each other, they form a plan to unite their incompatible employers.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 26, 2026
And a $10 charge for trash hauling and $15 for valet trash service, on top of several other fees.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 2, 2026
On the Fine and Country website, the property is listed as having seven en-suite bedrooms, a valet car garage and a large drawing room.
From BBC • May 30, 2026
When I was older, I joined Margaret in the valet shop, doing work like unpacking the guests’ trunks and pressing their clothes, as well as babysitting their children.
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
