apprenticeship

noun

ap·​pren·​tice·​ship ə-ˈpren-tə(sh)-ˌship 

ə-ˈpren-təs-ˌship

1

: a position as an apprentice : an arrangement in which someone learns an art, trade, or job under another

He obtained an apprenticeship with a carpenter.

Later that year, he decided to become a barrister—a career that requires acceptance into an apprenticeship …

—Sidney Blumenthal

2

: the period of time when a person is an apprentice

During most of his apprenticeship he lived in Paris …

—Robert Penn Warren

a two-year apprenticeship

Synonyms of apprenticeship

• internship
• training

Examples of apprenticeship in a Sentence

only after long apprenticeship as a camera operator was he appointed director of photography on a major motion picture

Recent Examples on the Web

Texas should fully fund public schools, pay teachers competitively, expand career and technical education, and strengthen community colleges and apprenticeships. —Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Feb. 2026

Such agreements, Sanoica said, ensure that construction workers receive union-scale wages, retirement benefits and apprenticeships. —Robert McCoppin, Chicago Tribune, 11 Feb. 2026

Wayne Township also offers a three-year apprenticeship program, and administrators are pursuing virtual work opportunities for students for whom transportation could be a barrier. —Carley Lanich, IndyStar, 10 Feb. 2026

Some older creep takes you aside and teaches you how to manipulate your girlfriends like a narcissistic abuse apprenticeship program? —Kathleen Walsh, Vulture, 10 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1592, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for apprenticeship

• associateship
• bipartisanship
• conservatorship
• distributorship
• proprietorship
• secretaryship
• airship
• airstrip
• clerkship
• courtship
• equip
• filmstrip

Kids Definition

apprenticeship

noun

ap·​pren·​tice·​ship

ə-ˈprent-əs-ˌship

1

: service as an apprentice

2

: the period during which a person serves as an apprentice