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rookie

/ˈrʊki/
/ˈrʊki/
IPA guide

Other forms: rookies

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."

Definitions of rookie
  1. noun
    an awkward and inexperienced youth
    synonyms: cub, greenhorn
    see moresee less
    type of:
    beginner, initiate, novice, tiro, tyro
    someone new to a field or activity
Pronunciation
US
/ˈrʊki/
UK
/ˈrʊki/
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