Word
trainee
US/ˈtɹeɪˈni/
UK/tɹˈeɪniː/
Definitions
01a person learning a job
B1 · Intermediate Countable noun
n. someone who is learning how to do a job while they are working there.
n. an individual undergoing a period of formal training or apprenticeship within a workplace to acquire specific professional skills.
“The new trainee spent his first week watching how the senior staff handled customers.”
“The law firm typically recruits twenty trainees each autumn, putting them through a rigorous two-year rotation across various departments.”
Pitfall
The company hired a new training.
The company hired a new trainee.
Use 'trainee' for the person being taught; 'training' refers to the process or the lessons themselves.
Synonyms
02a young person in a reformatory
C2 · Proficiency Countable noun Law Formal · Technical
n. a young person who is kept in a special school or center to learn better behavior after breaking the law.
n. a juvenile offender detained in a reformatory or training school for the purpose of rehabilitation and vocational education.
“The center provides the trainees with vocational skills to help them find work after their release.”
“Legislative reforms in the mid-twentieth century sought to reclassify juvenile offenders as trainees to emphasize rehabilitation over purely punitive measures.”
Etymology
From train + -ee.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
NOUN
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B1 PreliminaryIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.4.0–5.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 3.0–3.544–71TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.550–784
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- B1 · Intermediate
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/trainee