semiprofessional

1 of 2

noun

semi·​pro·​fes·​sion·​al ˌse-mē-prə-ˈfesh-nəl 

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

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

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

It’s been a decade since most players worked part-time jobs while playing for their respective clubs in semiprofessional leagues. —Shafi Musaddique, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 May 2021

In the past few years, he’s also transformed into a fashion renegade, an emerging social critic, a semiprofessional wrestler and a budding actor. —New York Times, 6 May 2022

After that, there are a number of college players projected to fill out the lottery along with a set of twin brothers from Overtime Elite, the semiprofessional league based in Atlanta, in Amen and Ausar Thompson. —Adam Zagoria, Forbes, 27 Jan. 2023

The Packers, formed in 1919 as a semiprofessional team, joined the N.F.L. (then known as the American Professional Football Association) in 1921 and soon faced financial trouble. —Joshua Needelman, New York Times, 7 Nov. 2022

Fenn estimates that at least 30,000 people have looked for the chest, and searchers range from weekend enthusiasts to semiprofessional hunters to unrepentant fanatics. —Peter Frick-wright, Outside Online, 11 Aug. 2015

Less than a decade ago, Rangers was reduced to playing in Scotland’s semiprofessional fourth tier as a punishment for years of financial mismanagement and chicanery. —New York Times, 18 May 2022

The fitness buff and semiprofessional soccer player is trying to create a new life with her 40-year-old boyfriend, Naked. —ELLE, 19 Mar. 2022

The 20-year-old had left their home in Melbourne nine months earlier to play semiprofessional rugby on the opposite side of the country in Perth. —Washington Post, 2 Mar. 2022

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Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1861, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1900, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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