as in novices
a person who is just starting out in a field of activity
every year the coaches have to deal with rooks who don't know the rules yet
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in plucks
to rob by the use of trickery or threats
once you learn to recognize these swindler's tricks, no one will be able to use them to rook you
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of rooks
Hannah Silverman, Parents, 15 Nov. 2025
Noun
But this isn’t the Queen’s Gambit, and at 4 and 6, Bluey and Bingo aren’t interested in prawns (pawns), castle heads (rooks), or pom pom elves (bishops).
—Hannah Silverman, Parents, 15 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rooks
Noun
-
Prepping a seating chart and staggering hot pot novices with pros can help guests feel taken care of.—
Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner,
Martha Stewart,
20 Feb. 2026
-
True beginners gravitate to Dollar Mountain, a gentler learning area just across State Highway 75, leaving Bald Mountain refreshingly free of novices.—
Denny Lee,
Travel + Leisure,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The first layer, called the Level-1 Trigger, or L1T, harvests 100,000 events per second, and the second layer, called the High-Level Trigger, or HLT, plucks 1,000 of those events to save for later analysis.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
3 Feb. 2026
-
From the metallic sheen of a beetle to the delicacy of a butterfly, Sandini described how Materia Futura plucks inspiration straight from nature.—
Angela Velasquez,
Sourcing Journal,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
At one station, three apprentices showed the congresswoman paper sketches of plumbing construction designs.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
15 Feb. 2026
-
At one station, three apprentices showed the congresswoman paper sketches of plumbing construction designs.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Compared to the behemoth Acela, which hustles hundreds of thousands of riders between Boston, New York City, and Washington DC each month, Amtrak's Mardi Gras line is downright petite—just two 58-seat coaches, plus a café car and a 14-seat Business Class car.—
Kara Newman,
Condé Nast Traveler,
6 Feb. 2026
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Most notably, watch here as backup center Oso Ighodaro shuts down Jalen Brunson’s final attempt to tie the score, then Grayson Allen deflects his pass, hustles into the backcourt and banks it off Mikal Bridges’ face and out of bounds.—
John Hollinger,
New York Times,
13 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Denver now has three guards occupying its two-way spots, with Simpson joining rookies Curtis Jones and Tamar Bates.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
19 Feb. 2026
-
The league had offered housing to players for three years who were on minimum salary contracts as well as rookies in their first season.—
Doug Feinberg,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Inspired by real stories, Eva Marcille portrays a wife who miraculously cheats death after her husband’s (Tyler Lepley) betrayal in Pushed Off a Plane and Survived airing on February 28.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
30 Jan. 2026
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Blashill wants the Blackhawks to be a fast-pressure team at both ends of the rink, one that attacks vertically but never cheats for offense.—
Mark Lazerus,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Group of beginners, hobbyists and professionals who like to take and share photos.—
Staff Report,
Baltimore Sun,
18 Feb. 2026
-
The ski treadmill offers some real benefits, especially for kids and beginners.—
Blair Braverman,
Outside,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Of Iran’s many squandered possibilities, the waste of our soft power stings the most.—
Arash Azizi,
Time,
3 Feb. 2026
-
This stings less thanks to the healthy variety of all-timers currently in the field.—
Craig Jenkins,
Vulture,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rooks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rooks. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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