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 blamelessJohnnie L. RobertsA 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
Richard CohenExamples of altar boy in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Back in the 1980s, Nicanor Palacios was an altar boy with Leo during his early priesthood in nearby Piura, and traveled the area with him for services.
—Caitlin Stephen Hu, CNN Money, 12 May 2025
The front of the sanctuary where Prevost first served the Catholic Church as an altar boy was covered with two pink and orange graffiti murals, the result of neglect after a series of closures and downsizing ordered by the Archdiocese of Chicago, which sold the parish property in 2019.
—Caroline Kubzansky, Chicago Tribune, 10 May 2025
Former altar boy Jimmy Kimmel also noted the religiosity of last night’s address.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2025
The story begins after a young altar boy’s tragic death by suicide in a local church.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 25 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for altar boy
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Caitlin Stephen Hu, CNN Money, 12 May 2025
The front of the sanctuary where Prevost first served the Catholic Church as an altar boy was covered with two pink and orange graffiti murals, the result of neglect after a series of closures and downsizing ordered by the Archdiocese of Chicago, which sold the parish property in 2019.
—Caroline Kubzansky, Chicago Tribune, 10 May 2025
Former altar boy Jimmy Kimmel also noted the religiosity of last night’s address.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2025
The story begins after a young altar boy’s tragic death by suicide in a local church.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 25 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for altar boy
Cite this Entry
“Altar boy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/altar%20boy. Accessed 20 May. 2025.
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