valet

1 of 2

noun

va·​let ˈva-lət  ˈva-(ˌ)lā 

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

Set the scene Some of the Cape’s grander hotels occupy once-in-a-lifetime pieces of oceanfront real estate, offer award-winning dining, and have a valet to park your car for you. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 July 2026

Lack Of Coordination for Autonomous Delivery Creates Havoc Driverless cars are showing up in mall valet lines or curbside pick-ups without the infrastructure to properly handle the driverless vehicles. — Shelley E. Kohan, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026

Verb

Guests can valet the car once and spend the rest of the trip walking to restaurants, bars, bakeries, shops, and music venues downtown. — Jill Robbins, Southern Living, 11 July 2026

Guests can valet their cars, get snacks and drinks in between rounds and check in their phones (a prized service since no cellphones are allowed on the course). — Robert Frank, CNBC, 10 Apr. 2026

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

Phrases Containing valet

• valet de chambre
• valet parking
• valet service

Rhymes for valet

• airway
• allay
• archway
• array
• ashtray
• assez
• astray
• aue
• away
• ballet
• belay
• beltway

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