intern

¹ American  

[in-turn] / ˈɪn tɜrn /

Sometimes interne

noun

1. a resident member of the medical staff of a hospital, usually a recent medical school graduate serving under supervision.

2. Education. student teacher.

3. a person who works as an apprentice or trainee in an occupation or profession to gain practical experience, and sometimes also to satisfy legal or other requirements for being licensed or accepted professionally.

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verb (used without object)

interned, interning

1. to be or perform the duties of an intern.

intern ² American  

[in-turn, in-turn] / ɪnˈtɜrn, ˈɪn tɜrn /

verb (used with object)

1. to restrict to or confine within prescribed limits, as prisoners of war, enemy aliens, or combat troops who take refuge in a neutral country.

2. to impound or hold within a country until the termination of a war, as a ship of a belligerent that has put into a neutral port and remained beyond a limited period.

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noun

1. a person who is or has been interned; internee.

intern ³ American  

[in-turn] / ɪnˈtɜrn /

adjective

Archaic.

1. internal.

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intern British  

verb

1. (tr) to detain or confine (foreign or enemy citizens, ships, etc), esp during wartime

2. (intr) to serve or train as an intern

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noun

1. another word for internee

2. Also: interne.  British equivalent: house officer.  med a graduate in the first year of practical training after medical school, resident in a hospital and under supervision by senior doctors

3. a student teacher

4. a student or recent graduate receiving practical training in a working environment

adjective

1. an archaic word for internal

Etymology

Origin of intern¹

First recorded in 1825–30 intern ¹ for def. 1, and in 1920–25 intern ¹ for defs. 2, 3; from French interne “assistant doctor,” from Latin internus “inward”; intern ³

Origin of intern²

First recorded in 1865–70; from French interner “to send inland; confine,” verbal derivative of interne intern ³

Origin of intern³

First recorded in 1570–80; from Latin internus “inward,” equivalent to inter- inter- + -nus adjective suffix

Explanation

Somewhere between being a student and a professional is the life of an intern, an advanced student, especially in medicine, who gets on-the-job experience. To intern or be an intern is to leave the classroom behind and start doing part of your profession — usually, the job of being a doctor. Sometimes an intern is paid, but not always, and the pay is never great. The experience is considered payment in itself. There have been many medical TV shows that feature interns, probably because the hours are long, the job is difficult, and there are many opportunities for drama in this boot camp for doctors. Medical interns may appreciate another meaning, which means to take away someone's freedom, as in "Why did you intern the prisoners?"

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

intern interned interning

"I'm still in my training period, so I'm feeling a little nervous," the self-described "intern" said in an earnest female voice, explaining how the school provided tailored courses and certification for specific robot jobs.

From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026

BBC Sport also understands that the intern involved, Will Salt, is set to be appointed to a permanent analyst role with the club since the controversy.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

Before that, he studied local policy implementation as an economic development intern at the Office of the Queens Borough President.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

She has worked at the Hatchet for nearly three years and was previously an intern at the Alexandria Times.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026

"Ford, apartment 4d, good thinking, Chris," The intern rose.

From "The Westing Game" by Ellen Raskin

While pursuing a computer-science doctorate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, specializing in machine learning, Andrew Lai interned at Microsoft and Nvidia doing deep-learning research.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026

Mitchell’s familiarity with lobbying might also come from experience, with Mitchell having interned at a lobbying firm, according to both Radio Iowa and his biography at Future Caucus, a group that supports young politicians.

From Salon ● Jul. 9, 2026

She studied criminal justice and interned in a prison.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026

During her college career, she served as the editor in chief of her student newspaper, The Collegian, and interned at three local newsrooms, most recently ABC30 Action News.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 26, 2026

I could have stayed with friends of the family and interned in New York at some publishing house, as Mom suggested.

From "Ask the Passengers" by A.S. King

The importance of career opportunities like networking and interning just wasn’t top of mind for Erle.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026

Mendoza, a business student, spent his summers interning at commercial real estate and investing firms.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 23, 2026

Concannon is interning this semester at the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office and is set to graduate this spring.

From Slate ● Apr. 6, 2026

Then I was interning in Interscope Records and going to shows.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 21, 2025

The doctor was a Harvard man, interning at the neighborhood hospital.

From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith

Related Words

• doctor
• resident
• student
• trainee