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
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
The claim seems more aspirational than accurate, maybe even defensive—the altar boy claiming his right to the transfiguring blaze.
—Harper's Magazine, 25 June 2024
That disconcerting closeness of the cosmic and carnal was par for the course for Combs, an altar boy turned entrepreneur whose career is a monument to these and other striking dualities.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 17 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for altar boy 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
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
The claim seems more aspirational than accurate, maybe even defensive—the altar boy claiming his right to the transfiguring blaze.
—Harper's Magazine, 25 June 2024
That disconcerting closeness of the cosmic and carnal was par for the course for Combs, an altar boy turned entrepreneur whose career is a monument to these and other striking dualities.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 17 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for altar boy
Dictionary Entries Near altar boy
Cite this Entry
“Altar boy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/altar%20boy. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share