newcomer
Americannoun
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.
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.
Danish international Dreyer -- the newly named MLS Newcomer of the Year -- opened and closed the scoring while Norway's Pellegrino added a goal in each half at Snapdragon Stadium in Southern California.
From Barron's • Nov. 10, 2025
His performance as the naïve young seaman, hanged for killing an officer in self-defence, won him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor and a Golden Globe for Best Newcomer.
From BBC • Aug. 17, 2025
Newcomer Brandon Routh gave rebooting the hero the old college try in 2006’s “Superman Returns,” but the romance-forward nature of the film ironically left audiences cold.
From Salon • Jul. 10, 2025
Newcomer Tatianna Córdoba, a Bay Area native and graduate of the Boston Conservatory, plays the lead in this coming-of-age tale.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 23, 2025
Mother Newcomer certainly enjoyed Kansas, and she soon became as well known as an old-timer.
From Tales and Trails of Wakarusa by Harvey, Alexander Miller
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.
