rookie
Americannoun
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rookies
plural
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an athlete playing their first season as a member of a professional sports team.
The rookie replaced the injured regular at first base.
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a raw recruit, as in the army or on a police force.
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a novice; tyro.
noun
Usage
What does Rookie of the Year mean? Rookie of the Year is an award given to an athlete judged most accomplished in the first season of their sport.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of rookie
Explanation
A rookie is someone who's new at something. The young football player who's just joined the NFL is a rookie, and if you just started your restaurant job yesterday, you're a rookie too. Police officers and members of the military also call recent recruits rookies. This word can also function as an adjective to describe something related to newbies — like a "rookie season" or a "rookie quarterback." The word's origin is a bit hazy, though it may come from the disparaging secondary meaning of rook, "a cheat," or more appropriately, "someone who's easily cheated."
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:
But after a rookie season that showed flashes of brilliance, highlighted by a 130-yard performance in his second NFL game, his production regressed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026
While Apple holds the largest share of the U.S. smartphone market, the tech giant is in a rare rookie position in the foldable market.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
Still, Apple remains in a rare rookie position in the foldable market.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
Stocks fell, but trader Art Cashin, then a rookie, was correctly advised to buy stocks by an older colleague.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
"You, Mohammed Aziz, rookie botanist, actually found the flower of eternal life and didn't know it. You coulda been rich and famous at a young age, if you hadn't..."
From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda
Four rookies started on the offensive line in Sunday’s loss to the Denver Broncos and wide receivers Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnston and Brenen Thompson, didn’t play.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
Slaughter is one of those rookies with a lot of responsibility.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2026
The crew of Mighty Mary was, indeed, a wonder—a quickly-assembled but deeply talented collection of vets and rookies who jelled into a world-class outfit.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
Woad is among four rookies in the European team joining fellow Englishwoman Mimi Rhodes, France's Nastasia Nadaud and the big hitting Spaniard Julia Lopez Ramirez.
From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026
As a pilot, Anya was one of several rookies in the air that night.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
