newcomer
Americannoun
-
newcomers
plural
noun
Usage
What does newcomer mean? A newcomer is a person who has recently arrived at a location or a person or thing that has recently joined a new environment, such as an occupation, workplace, field, or organization. A person who’s just moved to a new city could be described as a newcomer. The term could also be used to refer to a new player on a team, a new student at school, a new employee at work, or a nation that has just joined an international organization. A company that has just been established could be described as a newcomer in its industry or sector. Example: It’s the kind of gym where longtime members take bets on how long newcomers will last.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of newcomer
Explanation
When you show up at your first meeting of the local swim club and you're the only one who didn't bring a towel, it may be because you're a newcomer, or someone who's new at participating in a particular group. When you're a newcomer, you're an outsider just joining an activity or group. There are a lot of great words that have the same meaning as newcomer, like neophyte, rookie, and Johnny-come-lately. One popular slang term for newcomer is newbie, which is often shortened on the Internet to noob.
Vocabulary lists containing newcomer
100 SAT Words Beginning with "N"
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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.
See Examples For:
Douthat is the only newcomer added to the opening credits where the correspondents introduce themselves on camera.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026
Bonneville, another newcomer to the cast for series two, said working with Ritchie was "wonderfully chaotic, but with a great purpose in mind".
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026
New controllers have been hired -- 92 in 2025 and 77 in 2026 -- but each newcomer must be trained for five years.
From Barron's ● Aug. 23, 2026
He’s not the only disappointment: Mookie Betts is hitting worse than ever before in his career while another newcomer, $240-million man Kyle Tucker, is hitting just .239 with 11 home runs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
The first thing Amari noticed was that the newcomer was clean, smelling strongly of the scent of too many flowers.
From "Copper Sun" by Sharon M. Draper
Wahunsonacock, the leader of the Powhatan confederacy that dominated Chesapeake Bay, initially believed he could mold the English newcomers into a client state, and so tolerated their growing presence.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
Furuhashi, 31, is the most secure of the newcomers with a five-year deal — not that anyone is thinking that far ahead.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
Batters Saim Ayub and Abdullah Fazal have previous Test experience and join the quintet of uncapped newcomers.
From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026
That’s even more than the 86 newcomers on coach Deion Sanders’s 2023 roster at Colorado.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
Entire families had gathered to see the newcomers.
From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan
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.
