Rookie Meaning
/ˈɹʊki/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounAn inexperienced recruit, especially in the police or armed forces.
nounA novice.
Sentence Examples
The rookie breathed new life into the team.
Tom is a rookie.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ player had never played in a professional game before today.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The ____ officer made a small error on his first day but quickly learned from the experience.
Word Origin & History
Thought to be an alteration of recruit + -ie, or from rook (“a cheat”) + -ie. Another possible origin is Dutch broekie (short for broekvent (“a boy still in short trousers”)), a common term for a shipmate. Also suggested is Irish rúca (“an inexperienced person”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Corbett is convinced it was a systemic failure: "The Thames Train was driven by a rookie driver who had only just come into the job. It is, in fact, difficult to run through a red light, because you have to cancel the Automatic Warning System (AWS) and so on. But he continued for 700 yards and he accelerated, which no one understands why."
— 2026 March 4, Christian Wolmar, “Railtrack: what really happened”, in RAIL, number 1056, page 53:
"In 1977 he rookied as a smokejumper with the International Forest Fire Systems, a private firm that contracted smokejumping services to Canada's Northwest Territories."
— 2002, Smokejumpers, page 67:
"As they go ton the stretch of road that ran between the park and the 5 Freeway, Stu said 'Schoelkopf gave me the kind of lecture I haven't heard since I rookied. […]'"
— 2009, Jonathan Kellerman, Billy Straight:
"He rookied in 1980 and settled in to play right field for the Detroit Tigers from 1983 to 1987 and was critical to the Tigers winning the 1984 World Series against the San Diego Padres."
— 2016, Bill Loomis, On This Day in Detroit History, page 89:
"Grath and I had joined the Iron Bandits MC the same year; pledged together, rookied together."
— 2019, Heather West, Jax: Iron Bandits MC:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ player had never played in a professional game before today.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The ____ officer made a small error on his first day but quickly learned from the experience.