journeyman
noun
New Yorker
Did you know?
The journey in journeyman refers to a sense of the familiar word not often used anymore: "a day's labor." This sense of journey was first used in the 14th century. When journeyman appeared the following century, it originally referred to a person who, having learned a handicraft or trade through an apprenticeship, worked for daily wages. In the 16th century, journeyman picked up a figurative (and mainly deprecatory) sense; namely, "one who drudges for another." These days, however, journeyman has little to do with drudgery, and lots to do with knowing a trade inside out.
Examples of journeyman in a Sentence
Tris Wykes, Twin Cities, 10 Apr. 2026
The club didn’t re-sign the journeyman in the offseason, leading him to sign a one-year, $900,000 deal with the Guardians, his fourth club.
—Idaho Statesman, 9 Apr. 2026
Bednar has made a point of not using Wedgewood’s journeyman history against him.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 9 Apr. 2026
Amid the chaos of Monday’s Dexter Lawrence trade request, Harbaugh also signed interior lineman Lucas Patrick, 32, a 6-3, 313-pound journeyman who has played all three interior offensive line positions for three different teams the past three years.
—Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 8 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for journeyman
Cite this Entry
“Journeyman.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/journeyman. Accessed 15 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
journeyman
noun
