rookie
Americannoun
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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.
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.
A 1997 Kobe Bryant Metal Universe Precious Metal Gems rookie trading card with a metallic green background sold for a record amount.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 25, 2026
Former Rams quarterback Sam Bradford signed a six-year, $78 million contract as a rookie in 2011, the last year before the rookie wage scale was implemented.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 23, 2026
“Those learning curves that might take the first week, week and a half for rookie quarterbacks—to try to eliminate that so I can be best fitted to the system I’m in.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026
Last year, they traded for a late first-round selection to nab quarterback Jaxson Dart, who showed promise as a rookie.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 22, 2026
In the meantime, if you come across a worried-looking fellow with a black notebook in one hand and a tennis ball in the other, chances are that he is an astronaut—a rookie astronaut, that is.
From "Flying to the Moon: An Astronaut's Story" by Michael Collins
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.
