dentist
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of dentist
1750–60; < French dentiste, equivalent to dent tooth ( dent 2 ) + -iste -ist
Explanation
A dentist is a doctor who specializes in teeth, gums, and the mouth. If you get a bad toothache, you should probably go to the dentist to make sure you don't have a cavity. When you visit the dentist, you might have your teeth and gums examined and cleaned, or you may need surgery for an impacted wisdom tooth or x-rays to make sure you don't have cavities. Dentists are health care professionals who attend dental school and train for several years before practicing. Dentist comes from the French dentiste, from dent. or "tooth."
Vocabulary lists containing dentist
Body Language: Dent, Dont ("Tooth")
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Suffixes: -ist
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“I had a cousin that worked at the dentist that’d make me get up and sing after my appointments.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026
"We're caught between three mad powers, and war is terrifying," the 46-year-old dentist told AFP journalists outside Iran.
From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026
One dentist said that patients were "lied to" and told they couldn't be seen on the NHS in an "attempt to force them to go private" even when spare appointment slots existed.
From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026
Gurule now makes $35 an hour as a pediatric dental assistant, and she hopes to become a dentist.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 21, 2026
Yesterday at lunchtime I had an appointment with the dentist on Jan Luykenstraat.
From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
