journeyman

American  

[jur-nee-muhn] / ˈdʒɜr ni mən /

noun

• journeymen
  plural

1. a person who has served an apprenticeship at a trade or handicraft and is certified to work at it assisting or under another person.

2. any experienced, competent but routine worker or performer.

3. a person hired to do work for another, usually for a day at a time.

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journeyman British  

/ ˈdʒɜːnɪmən /

noun

1. a craftsman, artisan, etc, who is qualified to work at his trade in the employment of another

2. a competent workman

3. (formerly) a worker hired on a daily wage

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journeyman Cultural  

1. A skilled artisan who works on hire for master artisans rather than for himself.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• journeymen
  plural

Etymology

Origin of journeyman

1425–75; late Middle English journeman, equivalent to journee a day's work ( see journey) + man man

Explanation

A journeyman is someone who's advanced beyond being an apprentice, but who works for someone else. A journeyman who works for a stone mason is fairly experienced at masonry. If you're a journeyman, you're a person who is skilled at a trade or a craft, possibly one who began as an apprentice to an experienced artisan or worker. As a journeyman, a glassblower or stone carver or carpenter has enough skill to do the job well, but hasn't gone into business for herself yet. Journeyman comes from the Vulgar Latin root of journey, diurnum, "day," and man, "person."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

journeyman journeymen

So, instead of spending his career leading off for one franchise, he is bouncing around the league like a journeyman reliever.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

He arrived in Chicago this season as the ultimate nomad, an anonymous journeyman joining his fourth MLB organization in the span of a little more than three years.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

Lauer reflected on his experience as a first-round pick turned journeyman who went to South Korea to revive his career.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 2026

In drawing the moral to this experience, Graham wrote: “One lucky break, or one supremely shrewd decision — can we tell them apart? — may count for more than a lifetime of journeyman efforts.”

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 17, 2026

“Kilvin approved my sympathy lamp. You’re looking at the Arcanum’s newest journeyman artificer,” I said a little smugly.

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss

Tortorella is one of the best-traveled journeymen in North American hockey.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026

"People aren't going to remember Anthony Joshua for knocking out Jake Paul - George Foreman and Muhammad Ali fought fad events and journeymen, and nobody talks about that anymore."

From BBC ● Nov. 13, 2025

The 27-year-old Paul is a YouTube star who has forged a successful prizefighting career mostly by taking on mixed martial artists and journeymen boxers.

From Seattle Times ● May 31, 2024

And neither were most of the guys in the D-backs’ bullpen, which is a mixture of castaways, journeymen and youngsters.

From Washington Times ● Oct. 12, 2023

“Let it be written that henceforth only guild members shall be permitted to name themselves journeymen or masters ... provided the guilds open their rolls to any freedman who can demonstrate the requisite skills.”

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin