apprentice

American  

[uh-pren-tis] / əˈprɛn tɪs /

noun

1. a person who works for another in order to learn a trade.

   an apprentice to a plumber.

2. History/Historical. a person legally bound through indenture to a master craftsman in order to learn a trade.

3. a learner; novice; tyro.

4. U.S. Navy. an enlisted person receiving specialized training.

5. a jockey with less than one year's experience who has won fewer than 40 races.

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verb (used with object)

apprenticed, apprenticing

1. to bind to or place with an employer, master craftsman, or the like, for instruction in a trade.

verb (used without object)

apprenticed, apprenticing

1. to serve as an apprentice.

   He apprenticed for 14 years under a master silversmith.

apprentice British  

/ əˈprɛntɪs /

noun

1. someone who works for a skilled or qualified person in order to learn a trade or profession, esp for a recognized period

2. any beginner or novice

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verb

1. (tr) to take, place, or bind as an apprentice

Other Word Forms

• apprenticeship noun
• unapprenticed adjective

Etymology

Origin of apprentice

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English ap(p)rentis, from Anglo-French, Old French ap(p)rentiz, from unattested Vulgar Latin apprenditīcius, equivalent to unattested apprendit(us) (for Latin apprehēnsus; apprehensible ) + Latin -īcius suffix forming adjectives from past participles, here nominalized

Example Sentences

He finished high school and became a poorly paid, overworked apprentice electrician.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 13, 2026

A brief stint as an apprentice architect taught him to draw in the Beaux-Arts mode but he quickly moved beyond this, as we see from the breathtaking drawing that opens the show.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 18, 2026

Sparks illuminate the soot-covered studio of Japanese swordsmith Akihira Kawasaki as his apprentice hammers red-hot steel, showcasing a millennium-old craft now enjoying a resurgence in popularity.

From Barron's • Feb. 11, 2026

His landmark achievement arrived little over three years after he contested his first race as an apprentice jockey in November 2022.

From BBC • Dec. 31, 2025

He finished the day in a silence as sullen as that of the other apprentice, Nebre, whose stony indifference to men and work alike he was beginning to understand very well indeed.

From "The Golden Goblet" by Eloise Jarvis McGraw

Related Words

• pupil