altar boy

noun

1

: a boy who assists the celebrant in a liturgical service

2

chiefly US : a morally pure and virtuous person

No one expects … the trendsetter and party animal to become an altar boy.

—Johnnie L. Roberts

—typically used in negative constructions to describe a man whose behavior is not entirely admirable or blameless

A long time ago she married a man who turns out, by his own admission, to be somewhat dishonest—not a killer, not a dope peddler, but no altar boy, either.

—Richard Cohen

Examples of altar boy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The claim seems more aspirational than accurate, maybe even defensive—the altar boy claiming his right to the transfiguring blaze. —Christian Wiman, Harper's Magazine, 2 Aug. 2024

The mural depicts a long procession, with clergy and altar boys, at both the annual St. Anthony and St. Gabriel festivals. —Dan Rodricks, Baltimore Sun, 24 Nov. 2024

But first, the kid and his fellow altar boy are gonna hot box a church congregation. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 31 July 2024

Dad was an altar boy at Parumala; his father, who is buried there along with my grandmother, was a deacon. —Abraham Verghese, Travel + Leisure, 24 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1772, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

altar boy

noun

: a boy who assists the priest in a church service