journeyman

American  

[jur-nee-muhn] / ˈdʒɜr ni mən /

noun

• journeymen
  plural

1. a person who has served an apprenticeship at a trade or handicraft and is certified to work at it assisting or under another person.

2. any experienced, competent but routine worker or performer.

3. a person hired to do work for another, usually for a day at a time.

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journeyman British  

/ ˈdʒɜːnɪmən /

noun

1. a craftsman, artisan, etc, who is qualified to work at his trade in the employment of another

2. a competent workman

3. (formerly) a worker hired on a daily wage

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journeyman Cultural  

1. A skilled artisan who works on hire for master artisans rather than for himself.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• journeymen
  plural

Etymology

Origin of journeyman

1425–75; late Middle English journeman, equivalent to journee a day's work ( see journey) + man man

Explanation

A journeyman is someone who's advanced beyond being an apprentice, but who works for someone else. A journeyman who works for a stone mason is fairly experienced at masonry. If you're a journeyman, you're a person who is skilled at a trade or a craft, possibly one who began as an apprentice to an experienced artisan or worker. As a journeyman, a glassblower or stone carver or carpenter has enough skill to do the job well, but hasn't gone into business for herself yet. Journeyman comes from the Vulgar Latin root of journey, diurnum, "day," and man, "person."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

journeyman journeymen

He joins others who were in danger of acquiring the journeyman tag before their 23rd birthday.

From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026

Paul Avery, a journeyman actor best known for his role on “All My Children,” and his wife, Sheila, have died following a house fire.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 23, 2026

In drawing the moral to this experience, Graham wrote: “One lucky break, or one supremely shrewd decision — can we tell them apart? — may count for more than a lifetime of journeyman efforts.”

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 17, 2026

But he never made it to the top and eventually dropped down to the unglamorous Millwall club in South London, where he produced a diary that perfectly captures the life of a journeyman pro.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 4, 2026

The coming of Mr. Percival Tweedie, journeyman silversmith of Baltimore, cast a longer and longer shadow over the Lapham household and conversation.

From "Johnny Tremain" by Esther Hoskins Forbes

After releasing Seby Zavala last week, the Dodgers’ triple-A catchers are Eliezer Alfonzo and Chuckie Robinson, both journeymen with only Robinson having some major-league experience.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2026

Tortorella is one of the best-traveled journeymen in North American hockey.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026

The 27-year-old Paul is a YouTube star who has forged a successful prizefighting career mostly by taking on mixed martial artists and journeymen boxers.

From Seattle Times ● May 31, 2024

Anon: Clarke's loyalty to journeymen and underachievers is costing us.

From BBC ● Mar. 27, 2024

“Let it be written that henceforth only guild members shall be permitted to name themselves journeymen or masters ... provided the guilds open their rolls to any freedman who can demonstrate the requisite skills.”

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin