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
Brody Miller, New York Times, 20 June 2025
And in an offseason where several high-profile starting pitchers were on the market—like Corbin Burnes, Max Fried, Blake Snell and Jack Flaherty—the O’s filled their rotation holes with 41-year-old journeyman Charlie Morton and Japanese rookie Tomoyuki Sugano.
—Barry M. Bloom, Sportico.com, 20 June 2025
In went Calvin Pickard, the journeyman backup who won all six of his starts this playoffs before getting injured.
—Stephen Whyno, Chicago Tribune, 13 June 2025
Jettisoning Smith would leave Miami with journeyman Pharoah Brown, Julian Hill, Tanner Conner and rookie Jalin Conyers at the position.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 12 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for journeyman
Cite this Entry
“Journeyman.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/journeyman. Accessed 6 Jul. 2025.
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journeyman
noun
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