valet

1 of 2

noun

va·​let ˈva-lət How to pronounce valet (audio) ˈva-(ˌ)lā How to pronounce valet (audio)
va-ˈlā
1
a
: an employee (as of a hotel or a public facility) who performs personal services for customers
b
: a man's male servant who performs personal services (such as taking care of clothing)
2
: a device (such as a rack or tray) for holding clothing or personal effects

valet

2 of 2

verb

valeted; valeting; valets

transitive verb

: to serve as a valet

Examples of valet in a Sentence

Verb She runs her own valeting business.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
No man is a hero to his valet, goes the old saying. Rich Lowry, National Review, 28 Nov. 2023 The valet tray box comes with a magnetic swivel lid for easy opening. Claire Rutter, Rolling Stone, 25 Oct. 2023 Last year, the proposal was revised to have 135 rooms with 32-45 underground parking spaces and 66 valet spaces needed. Stacy Ryburn, Arkansas Online, 18 Oct. 2023 But the most illogical valet vibe is the mall valet. Dave Schilling, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2023 His valet, Walt Nauta, and a Mar-a-Lago property manager, Carlos de Oliveira, are also charged in the case for allegedly moving boxes housing the sensitive documents in and out of a storage room in an effort to conceal them from FBI investigators. Tori Otten, The New Republic, 3 Nov. 2023 Beyond valet and cocktails were amenities like shuttle service, a golf course, private marina, movie theater, cruiser bikes, pool and spa. Marlise Kast-Myers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Oct. 2023 The proposal the council saw Tuesday had a building with 110-115 rooms and 54 valet spaces needed. Stacy Ryburn, Arkansas Online, 18 Oct. 2023 In addition to airfare, all trips with Regent Seven Seas come with perks like free unlimited shore excursions, unlimited internet access, free valet laundry, included gratuities, and more. Alison Fox, Travel + Leisure, 7 Sep. 2023
Verb
The artists and actual bohemians who founded the club would not be admitted now, but they might be allowed to valet-park the cars. Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2023 Through a program approved by the Downtown Development Board, the city would cover the cost to valet your vehicle between 5:30 and 9 p.m. if the customer is eating at a participating restaurant. Ryan Gillespie, Orlando Sentinel, 31 Mar. 2023 At night, diners can pull up on Fairfax just north of Wilshire and valet their cars for dinner or drinks. Pat Saperstein, Variety, 8 Dec. 2021 Those dining at Vinsetta Garage currently have to valet park or find street parking. Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press, 6 Jan. 2020 There are limited free parking spots on site, but guests can valet their car for the day for $30. Catie Wegman, sun-sentinel.com, 9 July 2019 Roughly 100 Carpenter agents and staff members volunteer to make the Golf Classic a reality, checking in golfers, valeting cars, and helping organize and set up for the day. Stacey McKenna, Indianapolis Star, 6 June 2019 The following morning, Hawk walked the streets of L.A. searching for Spencer’s car; it had been valeted at a restaurant instead of the hotel. Jacob Feldman, SI.com, 2 July 2018 In 2016, Volvo announced a trial concierge service that allows Bay Area S90 and XC90 owners to get their cars refueled, serviced, or valeted through a smartphone app. Valentina Palladino, Ars Technica, 24 Apr. 2018 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'valet.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English vadlet, valet, varlet "male servant, groom, knight's attendant," borrowed from Anglo-French, "young man of noble birth serving a lord, boy, servant," going back to Gallo-Romance *vassellittus, diminutive of *vassellus, diminutive of early Medieval Latin vassus "serf, servant, vassal" — more at vassal

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Verb

1840, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of valet was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near valet

Cite this Entry

“Valet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/valet. Accessed 9 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

valet

noun
va·​let
ˈval-ā,
va-ˈlā,
ˈval-ət
1
: a male servant who takes care of a man's clothes and does personal services
2
: a hotel employee who does personal services for guests

More from Merriam-Webster on valet

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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