semiprofessional

1 of 2

noun

semi·​pro·​fes·​sion·​al ˌse-mē-prə-ˈfesh-nəl How to pronounce semiprofessional (audio)
ˌse-ˌmī-,
-mi-,
-ˈfe-shə-nᵊl
: one who engages in an activity (such as a sport) semiprofessionally

semiprofessional

2 of 2

adjective

1
: engaging in an activity for pay or gain but not as a full-time occupation
2
: engaged in by semiprofessional players
semiprofessional baseball
semiprofessionally adverb

Examples of semiprofessional in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Challenging them is Mauritania — a team packed with young players, many of them semiprofessionals, wearing yellow and brown. Catherine Porter James Hill, New York Times, 25 July 2023 His father was a factory worker and a former semiprofessional baseball player and boxer. Dave Sheinin, BostonGlobe.com, 2 June 2020 After the first two seasons of existence, PGSL got a huge boost in 1969 when Janet Ibach, a former semiprofessional softball player, offered a more long-range outlook for the league. Pomerado News, 19 July 2017 The 28 male and eight female competitors were mostly semiprofessionals from Norway, Sweden, Brazil, Australia, South Africa, Russia and France. JerÉ Longman, New York Times, 18 Oct. 2016
Adjective
The league to which South Shields has risen, the National League North, is largely stocked with part-time teams and semiprofessional players, but the team’s salary bill still stands at around $1.2 million a year. Rory Smith, New York Times, 24 Feb. 2024 His father worked various jobs, including as a salesman, a bouncer and a semiprofessional baseball player, before becoming a musician and joining his sons’ act. Brian Seibert, New York Times, 3 Jan. 2024 But the country’s semiprofessional military relies heavily on conscripts and reservists, which places it at a disadvantage in many respects. Andrew Exum, The Atlantic, 9 Oct. 2023 Even after that, female athletes in most other sports often had no alternative but to play in a semiprofessional capacity. Natasha Frost, New York Times, 5 Aug. 2023 That is a stark contrast to the average salary of $200 to $300 per month in the semiprofessional women’s league in Vietnam. Jeré Longman Linh Pham, New York Times, 16 July 2023 In addition, to his father playing semiprofessional basketball overseas, his two older sisters Melissa (Texas) and Samantha (Miami) were All-Americans in track and field in college and competed for the Colombian national track and field team. Lia Assimakopoulos, Dallas News, 28 Apr. 2023 Welsh soccer club Wrexham, owned by actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, has pulled off a Hollywood-worthy season ending by securing promotion to the English Football League after 15 years competing at a primarily semiprofessional lower level. Frances Vinall, Washington Post, 23 Apr. 2023 His father was a semiprofessional baseball player. Sam Roberts, BostonGlobe.com, 10 Feb. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'semiprofessional.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1861, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1900, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of semiprofessional was in 1861

Dictionary Entries Near semiprofessional

Cite this Entry

“Semiprofessional.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/semiprofessional. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

semiprofessional

adjective
semi·​pro·​fes·​sion·​al
ˌsem-i-prə-ˈfesh-nəl,
-ən-ᵊl,
ˌsem-ˌī-
1
: engaging in an activity for pay but not as a full-time occupation
2
: engaged in by semiprofessional players
semiprofessional football
semiprofessional noun
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