apprentice

American  

[uh-pren-tis] / əˈprɛn tɪs /

noun

1. a person who works for another in order to learn a trade.

   an apprentice to a plumber.

2. History/Historical. a person legally bound through indenture to a master craftsman in order to learn a trade.

3. a learner; novice; tyro.

4. U.S. Navy. an enlisted person receiving specialized training.

5. a jockey with less than one year's experience who has won fewer than 40 races.

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verb (used with object)

apprenticed, apprenticing

1. to bind to or place with an employer, master craftsman, or the like, for instruction in a trade.

verb (used without object)

apprenticed, apprenticing

1. to serve as an apprentice.

   He apprenticed for 14 years under a master silversmith.

apprentice British  

/ əˈprɛntɪs /

noun

1. someone who works for a skilled or qualified person in order to learn a trade or profession, esp for a recognized period

2. any beginner or novice

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verb

1. (tr) to take, place, or bind as an apprentice

Other Word Forms

• apprenticeship noun
• unapprenticed adjective

Etymology

Origin of apprentice

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English ap(p)rentis, from Anglo-French, Old French ap(p)rentiz, from unattested Vulgar Latin apprenditīcius, equivalent to unattested apprendit(us) (for Latin apprehēnsus; apprehensible ) + Latin -īcius suffix forming adjectives from past participles, here nominalized

Explanation

An apprentice is someone who learns a trade. An apprentice farmer is paid very little but has the chance to learn farming by watching and doing. In the old days, becoming an apprentice was the only way to get into many lines of work. Nowadays we think of it more in terms of trades — butchers, bakers, bricklayers, etc. If you do the same thing in an office setting, it's usually called an internship, but the idea is the same — learning by watching an expert. The word can be used as either a noun or verb: You are an apprentice, but you also can apprentice to the barber down the street.

Example Sentences

Sparks illuminate the soot-covered studio of Japanese swordsmith Akihira Kawasaki as his apprentice hammers red-hot steel, showcasing a millennium-old craft now enjoying a resurgence in popularity.

From Barron's • Feb. 11, 2026

It was the first skill apprentice artists learned, and its premium on firm contours and clearly defined forms was carried over into painting.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026

Living on bread, butter and fruit, she became a stagier or unpaid apprentice at the bakery of Gerard Mulot, a master pâtissier, boulanger and chocolatier.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 8, 2026

Dairy farm worker Renton Fewster and NHS apprentice Libby Robinson, from near Leeds, are in London for a few days but had no plans to visit Parliament.

From BBC • Dec. 29, 2025

If I stay with Ma for good, does that mean I’m going to become her apprentice?

From "Dragons in a Bag" by Zetta Elliott

Related Words

• pupil