Meanings
nounerrand boy (plural errand boys)
plural errand boys
- A male employed to run errands.
There was plenty of food and plenty of work. He was to be errand boy, and to help the girls to carry wood and water and do other odd jobs.
1886, Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, translated by H.L. Brækstad, Folk and Fairy Tales, page 96Synonyms: cat's paw, hatchet man
- occasionally derogatorymanagementSomeone in a responsible position who performs relatively menial tasks for a senior manager.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA male employed to run errands.
Similar
More synonyms by meaning
nouna boy who earns money by running errands
Similar
messenger boy
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Translations
Bulgarian момче́ за поръ́чки
- момче́ за поръ́чки (momčé za porắčki)male employed to run errands
Dutch loopjongen
- loopjongenmale employed to run errands
Estonian jooksupoiss
- jooksupoissmale employed to run errands
Finnish juoksupoika, juoksupoika
- juoksupoikamale employed to run errands
- juoksupoikasomeone nominally in responsible position
French coursier, garçon de courses
- coursiermale employed to run errands
- garçon de coursesmale employed to run errands
German Botenjunge, Laufbursche
- Botenjungemale employed to run errands
- Laufburschemale employed to run errands
Hungarian kifutófiú
- kifutófiúmale employed to run errands
Irish giolla
- giollamale employed to run errands
Italian bardotto, fattorino
- bardottomale employed to run errands
- fattorinomale employed to run errands
Latin cursor
- cursormale employed to run errands
Polish chłopiec na posyłki, chłopiec na posyłki
- chłopiec na posyłkimale employed to run errands
- chłopiec na posyłkisomeone nominally in responsible position
Portuguese moleque de recados
- moleque de recadosmale employed to run errands
Romanian curier
- curiermale employed to run errands
Russian ма́льчик на побегу́шках, рассы́льный
- ма́льчик на побегу́шках (málʹčik na pobegúškax)male employed to run errands
- рассы́льный (rassýlʹnyj)male employed to run errands
- посы́льный (posýlʹnyj)male employed to run errands
Scottish Gaelic gille-gnothaich
- gille-gnothaichmale employed to run errands
Spanish repartidor, recadero
- repartidormale employed to run errands
- recaderomale employed to run errands
- encomenderomale employed to run errands
Swedish springpojke
- springpojkemale employed to run errands
Turkish ayakçı
- ayakçımale employed to run errands
Ukrainian хло́пчик на побіге́ньках, хло́пчик на побіга́шках
- хло́пчик на побіге́ньках (xlópčyk na pobihénʹkax)male employed to run errands
- хло́пчик на побіга́шках (xlópčyk na pobiháškax)male employed to run errands
- розси́льний (rozsýlʹnyj)male employed to run errands
- поси́льний (posýlʹnyj)male employed to run errands
Cite this entry
APA
errand boy. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/errand%20boy
MLA
“errand boy.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/errand%20boy. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “errand boy,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/errand%20boy.
Source: errand boy on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.