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 pope, formerly Robert Prevost, grew up in a deeply Catholic family in Chicago where the three sons all served as altar boys in church, their parents led nightly recitations of the Rosary and young Robert pretended to be a priest. — Nicole Winfield, Chicago Tribune, 23 Sep. 2026

An altar boy at Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, he was educated at the Christian Brothers Academy and at Siena College, a Franciscan school in nearby Loudonville. — Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 1 Sep. 2026

He was raised Catholic and served as an altar boy, according to his older sister Maridale Powell, 89. — Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 29 Aug. 2026

Weinberger was three grades ahead of the pope, who was then an altar boy with Weinberger’s brother. — Fousia Abdullahi, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1772, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for altar boy

• corduroy
• fauntleroy
• iroquois
• ahoy
• alloy
• annoy
• carboy
• convoy
• cowboy
• decoy
• deploy
• destroy

Kids Definition

altar boy

noun

: a boy who assists the priest in a church service