Thought to be an alteration of recruit + -ie, or from rook (“a cheat”) + -ie. Another possible origin is Dutch broekie (short for broekvent (“a boy still in short trousers”)), a common term for a shipmate. Also suggested is Irish rúca (“an inexperienced person”).
Meanings
Non-professional; amateur
The game was going well until I made that rookie mistake.
the rookiest of rookie mistakes
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rookier
Degree=Cmp
lexicographic
rookiest
Degree=Sup
lexicographic
Translations (3)
es novel (amateur) · es bisoño (amateur) · es novato (amateur)
Thought to be an alteration of recruit + -ie, or from rook (“a cheat”) + -ie. Another possible origin is Dutch broekie (short for broekvent (“a boy still in short trousers”)), a common term for a shipmate. Also suggested is Irish rúca (“an inexperienced person”).
Meanings
An inexperienced recruit, especially in the police or armed forces.
Corbett is convinced it was a systemic failure: "The Thames Train was driven by a rookie driver who had only just come into the job. It is, in fact, difficult to run through a red light, because you have to cancel the Automatic Warning System (AWS) and so on. But he continued for 700 yards and he accelerated, which no one understands why. 2026 March 4, Christian Wolmar, “Railtrack: what really happened”, in RAIL, number 1056, page 53:
A novice.
An athlete either new to the sport or to a team or in his/her first year of professional competition, especially said of baseball, basketball, hockey and American football players.
(UK) A type of firecracker, used by farmers to scare rooks.
es novato (inexperienced recruit in military or police) · es novel (novice) · pt novato (inexperienced recruit in military or police) · cs zelenáč (novice) · pt principiante (novice) · tr çaylak (novice) · gl codio (novice) · de Neuzugang (athlete new to the sport or to a team) · fr bleu (novice) · ko 신인 (athlete new to the sport or to a team) · pt novata (novice) · tr çaylak (inexperienced recruit in military or police) · et noor (novice) · it recluta (inexperienced recruit in military or police) · pl żółtodziób (novice) · ko 루키 (athlete new to the sport or to a team) · et roheline (novice) · fi alokas (inexperienced recruit in military or police) · de Anfänger (novice) · et noor (inexperienced recruit in military or police) · mk новајлија (novice) · cs nováček (novice) · mk гуштер (inexperienced recruit in military or police) · fr bleu (inexperienced recruit in military or police) · ro răcan (inexperienced recruit in military or police) · bg новобра́нец (inexperienced recruit in military or police) · gl anovao (inexperienced recruit in military or police) · et roheline (inexperienced recruit in military or police) · nl beginneling (novice) · fi aloittelija (novice) · bg но́вак (novice) · et rebane (athlete new to the sport or to a team) · fi noviisi (novice) · es novicio (novice) · et kollanokk (novice) · gl garamufo (novice) · ja ルーキー (athlete new to the sport or to a team) · fi mopo (inexperienced recruit in military or police) · et algaja (novice) · cs bažant (inexperienced recruit in military or police) · es novato (novice) · ru зелёный (novice) · de Neuling (athlete new to the sport or to a team) · ru сала́га (inexperienced recruit in military or police) · gl pistolo (inexperienced recruit in military or police) · mk новак (novice) · ru новобра́нец (inexperienced recruit in military or police) · et uustulnuk (athlete new to the sport or to a team) · ru новичо́к (novice) · gl anovao (novice) · de Neuling (novice) · de Frischling (inexperienced recruit in military or police) · nl nieuwkomer (novice) · pt novato (novice) · cmn 菜鳥 /菜鸟 (inexperienced recruit in military or police) · it principiante (novice) · fi keltanokka (novice) · es bisoño (inexperienced recruit in military or police) · es bisoño (novice) · ro boboc (novice) · pl kot (inexperienced recruit in military or police) · et junga (novice) · nl schacht (inexperienced recruit in military or police) · fi tulokas (athlete new to the sport or to a team) · ja 新人 (athlete new to the sport or to a team) · gl pipiolo (inexperienced recruit in military or police)
Thought to be an alteration of recruit + -ie, or from rook (“a cheat”) + -ie. Another possible origin is Dutch broekie (short for broekvent (“a boy still in short trousers”)), a common term for a shipmate. Also suggested is Irish rúca (“an inexperienced person”).
Meanings
(intransitive) To be a rookie; to go through one's inexperienced learning period in a job, team, or organization.
He rookied in 1980 and settled in to play right field for the Detroit Tigers from 1983 to 1987 and was critical to the Tigers winning the 1984 World Series against the San Diego Padres. 2016, Bill Loomis, On This Day in Detroit History, page 89:
As they go ton the stretch of road that ran between the park and the 5 Freeway, Stu said 'Schoelkopf gave me the kind of lecture I haven't heard since I rookied. […]' 2009, Jonathan Kellerman, Billy Straight:
In 1977 he rookied as a smokejumper with the International Forest Fire Systems, a private firm that contracted smokejumping services to Canada's Northwest Territories. 2002, Smokejumpers, page 67:
Grath and I had joined the Iron Bandits MC the same year; pledged together, rookied together. 2019, Heather West, Jax: Iron Bandits MC:
(transitive) To haze one or more rookies as an initiation ritual.
Great was my surprise when I found that I had been "rookied" in for a policing-up detail with no chance to "allez." 1919, Harold C. Bloxham, “Training at La Courtine”, in The History of Battery E, 66th Artillery C. A. C., page 86:
There is none of that 'rookying stuff' but they don't pay any attention to you either, and that is worse. 1947, National Association of Secondary School Principals, Bulletin, page 40:
As long as a player is a rookie, they are susceptible to being "rookied,” although initiations typically occur at the beginning of the season, or just before. 2013, Curtis Fogel, Game-Day Gangsters: Crime and Deviance in Canadian Football, page 59:
Last year when I was 'rookied' they had this whole agenda where you had to do a ' shot ' [ of alcohol ] and run around and do this little circuit [ race ] —the idea was to get everyone to puke that night or just get totally hammered ... the majority of the people [rookies] were knocked out [physically unable to continue] by ten o'clock. 2007, Kevin Young, Philip White, Sport and Gender in Canada, page 313:
I was rookied in women's (ice) hockey mid-winter. I was made to strip nude and walk into McDonald's and order a big Mac. 2002, Celia Brackenridge, Kari Fasting, Sexual Harassment and Abuse in Sport: