copyboy

noun

copy·​boy ˈkä-pē-ˌbȯi How to pronounce copyboy (audio)
: one who carries copy and runs errands (as in a newspaper office)

Examples of copyboy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Cigarette smoke fogged the air, copyboys ran in and out, everyone shouted and no one listened. — Christine Smallwood, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026 In addition, the copyboy or cub reporter sees little hope for advancement, since the career pyramid has a wide base (the working press) and a narrow apex (editors and executives). — David Wingrave, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025 The teenager got a job as a copyboy for the AP, performed as a singing waiter, and competed in amateur shows. — Charles J. Gans, The Christian Science Monitor, 21 July 2023 Born in Massachusetts in 1912, Fuller called New York home by age 12 and fell hard for tabloid journalism—first as a copyboy, then as a cartoonist and crime reporter. — David Mermelstein, WSJ, 27 July 2022

Word History

First Known Use

1888, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of copyboy was in 1888

Browse Nearby Words

copybook
copyboy
copycat
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Copyboy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/copyboy. Accessed 6 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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