rookie
Americannoun
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an athlete playing their first season as a member of a professional sports team.
The rookie replaced the injured regular at first base.
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a raw recruit, as in the army or on a police force.
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a novice; tyro.
noun
Usage
What does Rookie of the Year mean? Rookie of the Year is an award given to an athlete judged most accomplished in the first season of their sport.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of rookie
Explanation
A rookie is someone who's new at something. The young football player who's just joined the NFL is a rookie, and if you just started your restaurant job yesterday, you're a rookie too. Police officers and members of the military also call recent recruits rookies. This word can also function as an adjective to describe something related to newbies — like a "rookie season" or a "rookie quarterback." The word's origin is a bit hazy, though it may come from the disparaging secondary meaning of rook, "a cheat," or more appropriately, "someone who's easily cheated."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Romo went to Burlington High School, which is about 35 miles from Milwaukee, and played four seasons at Eastern Illinois before joining the Cowboys as an undrafted rookie in 2004.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
The Lakers also acquired guard Jaden Hardy in a trade with the Washington Wizards, added rookie guard Cameron Carr and signed free agents Kevon Looney and Ziaire Williams.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
Racing Bulls' British rookie Arvid Lindblad was ninth with Alpine's Franco Colapinto taking the final point in 10th.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
Wharton may be an international rookie with only four caps, but he has the class and maturity for the big occasion, as he proved when Palace won the FA Cup and the Conference League.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
"You, Mohammed Aziz, rookie botanist, actually found the flower of eternal life and didn't know it. You coulda been rich and famous at a young age, if you hadn't..."
From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda
That said, most rookies selected early in the draft typically play out all four years of their deal, and therefore get every dollar owed to them on their contracts.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 23, 2026
Still, while many of these incoming rookies will make millions regardless of where they are selected in the draft, dropping even a few spots can drastically alter their financial futures.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 23, 2026
“Ty, like the rest of the rookies, are doing a really nice job.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 2026
Today, ambitious rookies aren’t constrained by bureaucratic red tape or the strictures of office hierarchy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 21, 2026
As a pilot, Anya was one of several rookies in the air that night.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
