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March 12, 2016 Word of the Day

amateur /ˈæməˌtɚ/ noun
amateur
/ˈæməˌtɚ/
noun

plural amateurs

Amateur astronomers
Amateur astronomers
Definition of AMATEUR

[count]

1 : a person who does something (such as a sport or hobby) for pleasure and not as a job

  • She played soccer as an amateur before turning professional.

  • These photos were taken by both amateurs and professionals.

2 : a person who does something poorly : a person who is not skillful at a job or other activity

  • The people running that company are a bunch of amateurs.

  • Only amateurs make this kind of mistake.

  • He's a mere amateur when it comes to cooking. [=he doesn't know how to cook well]

— amateur adjective, always used before a noun

  • amateur photographers/athletes

  • an amateur competition [=a contest for amateurs]

  • They competed at the amateur level.

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