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

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Etymology

Origin of internship

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

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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

Angie Nixon’s political career started with an internship for a member of city council.

From Slate ● Oct. 13, 2026

The school year is barely a month old, but for college students hoping to land a primo internship next summer it might already be too late.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

She had to take on a three-month unpaid internship in a classroom and several thousand dollars in fees for her certification.

From Salon ● Oct. 1, 2026

That’s three to four years of coursework and clinical practice, followed by a mandatory one-year full-time internship.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026

I think about Andre at Big Ed’s General Store and Camille at her internship.

From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller

Plus, rogue pilots are now one of the biggest threats to airline safety—and the race is on for next summer’s $50,000 internships.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

In quantitative finance, where many of the highest-paying internships are concentrated, experience arguably matters less than in most other disciplines.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

Buelna said the district also needs to expand career technical education and paid internships, while “strengthening transfer pathways for students seeking four-year degrees.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

Phan said it blocks students from paid internships, research and teaching assistant jobs and student government posts that include stipends — positions she called “vital to advancing their future careers.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026

It’s a new school set up to create the leaders of tomorrow; corporate internships are mandatory; the higher-ups of Merrill Lynch come and speak to classes and distribute travel mugs and stuff.

From "It’s Kind of a Funny Story" by Ned Vizzini

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