dentist

American

[den-tist] / ˈdɛn tɪst /

noun

a person whose profession is dentistry.

dentist British

/ ˈdɛntɪst /

noun

a person qualified to practise dentistry

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of dentist

1750–60; < French dentiste, equivalent to dent tooth ( dent ² ) + -iste -ist

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.

"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

Ensieh, a dentist in the capital, said every day she is "losing more hope".

From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026

A newly minted dentist earns around $150,000 or more, but student loans eat up a lot of their take-home pay, especially in the early years.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026

"We had a great NHS dentist where I used to live," she told me.

From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026

And I was on the side of the road in Georgia with a granny who was asking for a dentist.

From "Louisiana's Way Home" by Kate DiCamillo

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023