valet

1 of 2

noun

va·​let ˈva-lət How to pronounce valet (audio) ˈva-(ˌ)lā How to pronounce valet (audio)
va-ˈlā
1
a
: an employee (as of a hotel or a public facility) who performs personal services for customers
b
: a man's male servant who performs personal services (such as taking care of clothing)
2
: a device (such as a rack or tray) for holding clothing or personal effects

valet

2 of 2

verb

valeted; valeting; valets

transitive verb

: to serve as a valet

Examples of valet in a Sentence

Verb She runs her own valeting business.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The valet also shed more light on how Mr. Trump’s White House had devolved into dysfunction during his final weeks in office. Maggie Haberman, New York Times, 21 Mar. 2024 On my return, the hotel beckoned like a private urban oasis, with friendly valets in olive-green uniforms welcoming me back by name. Denny Lee, Travel + Leisure, 17 Mar. 2024 Zaoui agreed to meet me in Paris last May, at a restaurant in one of the city’s most luxurious hotels, the Lutetia, where a Coca-Cola costs 12 euros and an army of valets swarm the entrance. Longreads, 5 Mar. 2024 At which point, the swank crowd in the rink-turned-club rose up, dancing in place, bellowing out lyrics in sync — and not scurrying, as is the L.A. norm at almost 9 p.m. — out to the valet. Merle Ginsberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 Feb. 2024 Find it on Amazon Let Out Your Wild Side with This Tiger Valet Tray Go for striking accents, like this tiger valet tray. Claire Rutter, Rolling Stone, 12 Feb. 2024 That means that the waiters, parking valet attendants and your favorite bartender are usually making below minimum wage, and rely on tips to cover the difference. Emma Janssen, Miami Herald, 6 Feb. 2024 After assisting with luggage and performing a brief visual inspection of the vehicle, valets collect the owner’s phone number, record the return itinerary and provide a valet service return phone number. Steve Rosen, Kansas City Star, 31 Jan. 2024 One hotel employee was getting to his feet, having been apparently blown by the shock of the blast into a valet stand. James Hartley, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Jan. 2024
Verb
The artists and actual bohemians who founded the club would not be admitted now, but they might be allowed to valet-park the cars. Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2023 Through a program approved by the Downtown Development Board, the city would cover the cost to valet your vehicle between 5:30 and 9 p.m. if the customer is eating at a participating restaurant. Ryan Gillespie, Orlando Sentinel, 31 Mar. 2023 At night, diners can pull up on Fairfax just north of Wilshire and valet their cars for dinner or drinks. Pat Saperstein, Variety, 8 Dec. 2021 Those dining at Vinsetta Garage currently have to valet park or find street parking. Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press, 6 Jan. 2020 There are limited free parking spots on site, but guests can valet their car for the day for $30. Catie Wegman, sun-sentinel.com, 9 July 2019 Roughly 100 Carpenter agents and staff members volunteer to make the Golf Classic a reality, checking in golfers, valeting cars, and helping organize and set up for the day. Stacey McKenna, Indianapolis Star, 6 June 2019 The following morning, Hawk walked the streets of L.A. searching for Spencer’s car; it had been valeted at a restaurant instead of the hotel. Jacob Feldman, SI.com, 2 July 2018 In 2016, Volvo announced a trial concierge service that allows Bay Area S90 and XC90 owners to get their cars refueled, serviced, or valeted through a smartphone app. Valentina Palladino, Ars Technica, 24 Apr. 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'valet.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English vadlet, valet, varlet "male servant, groom, knight's attendant," borrowed from Anglo-French, "young man of noble birth serving a lord, boy, servant," going back to Gallo-Romance *vassellittus, diminutive of *vassellus, diminutive of early Medieval Latin vassus "serf, servant, vassal" — more at vassal

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Verb

1840, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of valet was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near valet

Cite this Entry

“Valet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/valet. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

valet

noun
va·​let
ˈval-ā,
va-ˈlā,
ˈval-ət
1
: a male servant who takes care of a man's clothes and does personal services
2
: a hotel employee who does personal services for guests

More from Merriam-Webster on valet

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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