Synonyms

altar boy

American

noun

a male altar server.

altar boy British

noun

RC Church Church of England a boy serving as an acolyte

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of altar boy

First recorded in 1765–75

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.

“I was raised a Catholic, was an altar boy, and at 14 I seriously considered becoming a priest,” Wilson told The Times in 1986.

From Los Angeles Times

Carlos also participated in the church as an altar boy, his family wrote.

From Los Angeles Times

Scorsese grew up in New York’s Little Italy as a Catholic altar boy and aspiring priest who was also fascinated by the mafiosos that loomed large in his community.

From The Wall Street Journal

The church where Pope Leo XIV attended mass as a child and served as an altar boy is now an empty shell.

From BBC

He was also an altar boy for seven years, although that was a lot more stressful.

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023