intern

1 of 4

noun

in·​tern ˈin-ˌtərn 

variants or less commonly interne

: an advanced student or graduate usually in a professional field (such as medicine or teaching) gaining supervised practical experience (as in a hospital or classroom)

internship

ˈin-ˌtərn-ˌship 

noun

intern

2 of 4

verb (1)

in·​tern ˈin-ˌtərn 

interned; interning; interns

intransitive verb

: to work as an intern

intern

3 of 4

verb (2)

in·​tern ˈin-ˌtərn  in-ˈtərn 

interned; interning; interns

transitive verb

: to confine or impound especially during a war

intern enemy aliens

internee

(ˌ)in-ˌtər-ˈnē 

noun

intern

4 of 4

adjective

in·​tern in-ˈtərn  ˈin-ˌtərn 

variants or interne

archaic

: internal

Synonyms

Verb (2)

• jail
• imprison

Examples of intern in a Sentence

Verb (2)

some Polish citizens were interned in Russian camps during World War II

After medical school, he worked as an intern at the university hospital.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Elizondo signed up for a screenwriting club at school and became a production intern for Revelator Productions. —Kamal Morgan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Oct. 2025

Elmira Aliieva Elmira Aliieva is an NBC News intern based in London. —Elmira Aliieva, NBC news, 23 Oct. 2025

Adjective

The act used to intern Japanese-Americans en masse in camps was the Alien Enemies Act, now being used by the Trump administration to enable the mass detention and deportation of undocumented people. —Sophie Clark, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 June 2025

Growing the intern population equitably serves the mission of many organizations. —Benjamin Wolff, Forbes.com, 18 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

French interne, from interne, adjective

Adjective

Middle French interne, from Latin internus

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1879, in the meaning defined above

Verb (1)

circa 1928, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

1866, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

circa 1560, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for intern

• comintern

Kids Definition

intern

1 of 3 verb

in·​tern ˈin-ˌtərn  in-ˈtərn 

: to confine especially during a war

interned enemy aliens

intern

2 of 3 noun

in·​tern

variants also interne

ˈin-ˌtərn

: an advanced student or graduate in a special field (as medicine or teaching) who is gaining supervised practical experience (as in a hospital or classroom)

intern

3 of 3 verb

in·​tern ˈin-ˌtərn 

: to work as an intern

Medical Definition

intern

1 of 2 noun

in·​tern

variants also interne

ˈin-ˌtərn 

: a physician gaining supervised practical experience in a hospital after graduating from medical school

called also houseman

intern

2 of 2 intransitive verb

in·​tern ˈin-ˌtərn 

: to act as an intern