troubleshooter
Americannoun
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an expert in discovering and eliminating the cause of problems or malfunctions in software, mechanical equipment, power lines, etc..
An experienced troubleshooter can make power outages much shorter.
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a person with special skill in resolving disputes, impasses, etc., as in business, national, or international affairs.
She's worked as a diplomatic troubleshooter in the Middle East.
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of troubleshooter
Explanation
A troubleshooter is a person who fixes things or solves problems after zeroing in on their sources. When your car refuses to start, you may need to pay a mechanic to act as a troubleshooter. Computer experts often act as troubleshooters for big companies, diagnosing and repairing any trouble that arises in the computer network. Editors can be troubleshooters for filmmakers, deleting extra scenes and combining others in ways that solve problems with the narrative. In either case, troubleshooters deal with problems. The original troubleshooter, from the 1890's, was a telegraph or telephone line repairman.
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.
Since Walter Mondale, vice presidents have come to view their role as that of top adviser to the president—senior troubleshooter, constant surrogate, head of a few special “portfolios.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026
It also commissioned veteran Whitehall troubleshooter Dame Louise Casey to carry out a "rapid" review of the nature and scale of group-based child sexual abuse, and a framework for the local inquiries.
From BBC • Jun. 3, 2025
Richardson also traveled the globe as an unofficial diplomatic troubleshooter, negotiating the release of hostages and American servicemen from North Korea, Iraq, Cuba and Sudan.
From Washington Times • Sep. 2, 2023
So I called the emergency number for the Pasadena Water Department, and the operator promised to send a troubleshooter.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 13, 2022
Colonel Cargill, General Peckem’s troubleshooter, was a forceful, ruddy man.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
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.
