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:
Pete Bloom, a raptor biologist who helped band the newcomer, says there’s a very good chance the bald eagles will make a go at starting a family in a few months.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
CXMT, as a relative newcomer, "remains in a follower position regarding leading-edge technologies", James Zhao, senior principal analyst at Omdia, told AFP.
From Barron's ● Aug. 2, 2026
The presence of so many stalwarts largely squeezes out fresh talent, but the mysterious Irish newcomer Dove Ellis stands out as a potential winner, for the otherworldly beauty of his debut album, Blizzard.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
Reddit threads tout the film as a modern classic, measured against the standard “The Exorcist” set, and more formal writing draws worthy comparisons between Linda Blair’s unforgettable performance and newcomer Inde Navarrette’s work in “Obsession.”
From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026
When she sidestepped the newcomer, it took me a moment to register who it was.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
They managed something most newcomers to Tinseltown never do: persuading some of its biggest companies to invest heavily in them.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
John Stewart’s legend fared better in the animated “Justice League” and “Justice League Unlimited” series, which established him as a favorite among newcomers to the franchise.
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026
Her grandmother, the first woman his grandfather married, presided as matriarch over a farm where the wives lived together, and often helped choose the newcomers herself.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
Jenner might be small, but river, sea, natives and newcomers all converge there.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
The newcomers began to hunt the deer and gather the nuts and berries that were the Neanderthals’ traditional staples.
From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari
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.
