dentist
Americannoun
-
dentists
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of dentist
1750–60; < French dentiste, equivalent to dent tooth ( see 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.
See Examples For:
Voskanyan had studied in Armenia to be a dentist and later worked a variety of jobs in America including in construction, jewelry and as a dental technician.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026
If you didn’t brush your teeth well enough, you will eventually be paying for that at the dentist!
From Slate ● Sep. 14, 2026
Dr Simon Cove, a dentist who treats both private and NHS patients, says the physical impact of grinding on our teeth can be huge.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
The volunteer found Arlene’s eldest daughter, Dayna Zoller, now a dentist in New Jersey.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
A cursed lamp is a much more interesting topic than, say, a visit to the dentist.
From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi
The government says that it is changing the dental contract and training more dentists in the areas most in need.
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026
While the NHS, and access to GPs and dentists has been mentioned by many of the 34 candidates, social care has rarely featured.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
In the United States, dentists have used it off-label since 2014, when it was approved as a medical device for reducing tooth sensitivity.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 29, 2026
Meanwhile, there are efforts to overcome a behind-the-scenes barrier between doctors and dentists: records systems.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
His upper canines had never grown in, and the string of holistic dentists my parents had taken him to as a child had failed to notice until it was too late.
From "Educated" by Tara Westover
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.
