apprenticeship
Americannoun
-
a program or position in which someone learns a trade by working under a certified expert.
The course provides students with a good base for securing apprenticeships in the plumbing and gasfitting industries.
-
the state or position of any learner or novice.
His apprenticeship in political struggle was gained in the Spanish Civil War.
Etymology
Origin of apprenticeship
Explanation
Apprenticeship is a kind of job training that involves following and studying a master of the trade on the job instead of in school. Carpenters, masons, doctors, and many other professionals often learn their trade through apprenticeship. The word apprenticeship comes from the Old French aprentiz meaning "someone learning" and the Anglian suffix -scip, meaning "state, condition of being." An apprenticeship is when someone is in a state or condition of learning from a master in a field. Some professions even have apprenticeship programs like the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers where you can be assigned to apprentice, or study under a professional electrician.
Vocabulary lists containing apprenticeship
"Creativity at Work" and "The Hidden Secrets of the Creative Mind"
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The State of the Union Address 2015
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Obama's State of the Union Address, 2014
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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.
Even with "a substantial apprenticeship programme", he said his company could not train everyone they needed, and would need to turn to France, Germany or Poland to find personnel.
From Barron's • Jun. 9, 2026
Funds in the account may be used for qualified higher-education expenses, including tuition at a college, university, trade school, vocational school or apprenticeship program.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 8, 2026
In England, they must stay in education or training until 18, through full-time study, an apprenticeship or part-time learning alongside work.
From BBC • Jun. 7, 2026
The Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters, a union, has agreed to set aside 75 apprenticeship slots for high-school graduates who are trained through the Bloomberg program.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 6, 2026
His medical training had been extensive, consisting of five years of apprenticeship with the pre-eminent doctor in the United States, John Redman.
From "An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793" by Jim Murphy
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.
