What does "apprenticeship" mean?

The condition of, or the time served by, an apprentice.

How do you pronounce "apprenticeship"?

Pronounced //əˈpɹɛn.tɪs.ʃɪp//.

Common synonyms include: basic training, binding over, breaking, breeding, conditioning, cultivation.

//əˈpɹɛn.tɪs.ʃɪp// noun

noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Noun

1
The condition of, or the time served by, an apprentice.
2
the position of apprentice wordnet
3
The system by which a person learning a craft or trade is instructed by a master for a set time under set conditions.
"There, however, he had disappointed expectation. In sooth, his genius was of too creative an order for the apprenticeship of learning; he needed life in its hopes, its fears, its endurance; all that the poet learns to reproduce."

"Apprenticeship is a system where you eat, sleep and live with your master and are taught various martial arts know-how and secrets."

From apprentice + -ship.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.