semiprofessional

1 of 2

noun

semi·​pro·​fes·​sion·​al ˌse-mē-prə-ˈfesh-nəl 

ˌse-ˌmī-,

-mi-,

-ˈfe-shə-nᵊl

: one who engages in an activity (such as a sport) semiprofessionally

semiprofessional

2 of 2

adjective

1

: engaging in an activity for pay or gain but not as a full-time occupation

2

: engaged in by semiprofessional players

semiprofessional baseball

semiprofessionally adverb

Examples of semiprofessional in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Challenging them is Mauritania — a team packed with young players, many of them semiprofessionals, wearing yellow and brown. —Catherine Porter James Hill, New York Times, 25 July 2023

His father was a factory worker and a former semiprofessional baseball player and boxer. —Dave Sheinin, BostonGlobe.com, 2 June 2020

Adjective

Born in Clinton, Okla., and raised in Moore, a suburb of Oklahoma City, Keith worked as a roughneck in the oil fields, then played as a semiprofessional football player before kicking off his music career. —Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 6 Feb. 2024

The league to which South Shields has risen, the National League North, is largely stocked with part-time teams and semiprofessional players, but the team’s salary bill still stands at around $1.2 million a year. —Rory Smith, New York Times, 24 Feb. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1861, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1900, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

semiprofessional

adjective

semi·​pro·​fes·​sion·​al

ˌsem-i-prə-ˈfesh-nəl,

-ən-ᵊl,

ˌsem-ˌī-

1

: engaging in an activity for pay but not as a full-time occupation

2

: engaged in by semiprofessional players

semiprofessional football

semiprofessional noun