Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A sports event, such as a golf tournament, in which professionals compete with or against amateurs.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A competition in which both professional and amateur competitors participate.
  • noun An amateur who engages in some activity at a professional or near-professional level of skill or competence.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[pro(fessional) + am(ateur).]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From a contraction of both professional and amateur.

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Examples

Comments

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  • It's no friendly tournament, no ma'am,

    It's cutthroat, that merciless dough slam,

    So none but the foolish

    Leave unguarded poolish

    At the bakers's biennial pro-am.

    February 10, 2016