amateur
noun
a person who engages in a study, sport, or other activity for pleasure rather than for financial benefit or professional reasons.
amateurs
-
pluralof amateur.plural
The grammatical form denoting more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
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.
An old adage has it that strategy is for amateurs and logistics is for professionals.
From Slate ● Aug. 19, 2026
William rode alongside top professional players and keen amateurs at the Guards Polo Club in Windsor Great Park.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
The actors, seasoned veterans as well as young amateurs, go through their lines and movements one last time before the curtain rises at the Wole Soyinka Theatre at the University of Ibadan, in southwest Nigeria.
From Barron's ● Jun. 26, 2026
Surely, the inventors of the game had won 10-0—not lost to a bunch of relative amateurs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
The Louvre was also a sort of art studio, where amateurs came to copy the paintings of the greats.
From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day
