View synonyms for

Boy Scout

noun

a member of an organization of boys BoyScouts, founded in England in 1908 by Lieutenant General Sir Robert S. S. Baden-Powell, that seeks to develop certain skills in its members, as well as character, self-reliance, and usefulness to others.
(lowercase)��a member of any similar society elsewhere.
(lowercase)��a person whose deeds, obliging personality, idealism, etc., exceed normal expectations.

boy scout

noun

See Scout
informal��an apparently virtuous and innocent person

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Sensitive Note

Use of boy scout to mean “someone who is obliging and idealistic” usually implies that the person is naive or unworldly.

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Word History and Origins

Origin of Boy Scout¹

First recorded in 1905–10

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

The band's name is short for Bangtan Boys, or "Bulletproof Boy Scouts" in Korean.

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About 3,500 Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts planted 90,000 flags ahead of Monday’s Memorial Day ceremony.

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Mazino describes Jesse as “a pretty happy-go-lucky guy” in the earlier episodes of the season, as well as “a bit of a Boy Scout.”

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The Boy Scouts of America, by comparison, agreed to pay $2.46 billion.

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Our columnist remembers his time with the late filmmaker, who famously loathed dissecting his work — but hung on to a Boy Scout ethos one couldn’t help but love.

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Boys' Brigade Boy Scouts of America

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