internship

American  

[in-turn-ship] / ˈɪn tɜrnˌʃɪp /

noun

internships plural

1. the state or condition of being an intern.

2. the period during which a person serves as an intern.

3. any official or formal program to provide practical experience for beginners in an occupation or profession.

   an internship for management trainees.

4. a position as a participant in such a program.

   She has accepted an internship in a law firm.

5. any period of time during which a beginner acquires experience in an occupation, profession, or pursuit.

   She had a long internship before starting her own recording studio.

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internship British  

/ ˈɪntɜːnʃɪp /

noun

1. the position of being an intern or the period during which a person is an intern

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• internships
  plural

Etymology

Origin of internship

First recorded in 1900–05; intern ¹ + -ship

Explanation

An internship is a temporary position with an emphasis on on-the-job training rather than merely employment, and it can be paid or unpaid. If you want to go into publishing, you might have to take an internship before you are qualified for an actual job. To intern means "to pass inside something," and when you have an internship, it's like you've temporarily gotten permission to be inside a workplace. If you're just completing your medical training, then the next stage is to get a medical internship, in which you are supervised by more experienced doctors. Sometimes your internship is part of your "residency," your first hospital job.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

internship internships

Veronika Khudenko, in Kyiv for the past month for an internship from London, has spent every single night there.

From Barron's ● Jul. 9, 2026

Jeremy, what was your reaction when you read Carmy is in a suit interviewing for an internship at an architectural firm?

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026

Jaramillo got his internship the old-fashioned way: networking.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 22, 2026

Young San Antonio had been treating this series like a summer internship: make mistakes, get a few contacts, come back stronger down the road.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 9, 2026

The summer before graduation I’d completed an internship at a money management firm in New York, so I added financial institutions to my list, too.

From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad

Linked Learning steps in by partnering with schools and guiding students on how to earn college credit through dual community college enrollment, internships and industry certifications.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026

Students who do not complete internships have the opportunity to network with industry professionals.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026

For decades, the path for many elite students was clear: secure internships in tech, finance or consulting, graduate with a cushy job and climb the corporate ladder.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026

Coauthor Kaitlin McAllister participated through the Vienna Doctoral School in Physics, which provides internships for outstanding master's students from around the world.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 2, 2026

He wanted a full scholarship to Georgetown and summer internships with United States senators.

From "The Dead and the Gone" by Susan Beth Pfeffer