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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are valetingprogressive
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am 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.
One recent report from CD Valet found that in the past six months, the average rates paid by 5-year CDs fell by just 0.06 percentage points, compared to 0.28 percentage points for 1-year products.
From Barron's • Dec. 11, 2025
Jet Valet did not immediately respond to a request for comment by Reuters, but local media cited the company as saying it will cooperate with authorities on the investigation.
From Reuters • Aug. 17, 2023
Valet parkers should get $2 to $5 at drop-off and pickup.
From New York Times • Apr. 25, 2023
In records filed with the state, Stepan Kazaryan is named as owner of 21st Century Valet Parking LLC, which operates the club under Star Garden Enterprise.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 17, 2022
"Yes, sir," said the Valet, "he won't allow himself to be brushed or dusted."
From The World Turned Upside Down by Clayton, E. C.
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.
