busboy
Busboy (noun) means a restaurant worker who clears and cleans tables. Example: “He got his first job as a busboy at sixteen.”
How to use busboy
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA restaurant employee whose job is clearing dirty dishes and tidying tables.
Mainly American English; British English more often says "waiter's assistant" or simply describes the task.
Word forms
- Plural
- busboys
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
He got his first job as a _____ at sixteen.
Etymology
"Bus" here is a clipping of "omnibus" in the older sense of "assistant waiter," combined with "boy."