expert
Americannoun
-
experts
plural
-
a person who has special skill or knowledge in some particular field; specialist; authority.
a language expert.
- Synonyms:
- master, connoisseur
-
Military.
-
the highest rating in rifle marksmanship, above that of marksman and sharpshooter.
-
a person who has achieved such a rating.
-
adjective
-
possessing special skill or knowledge; trained by practice; skillful or skilled (often followed by in orat ).
an expert driver;
to be expert at driving a car.
- Synonyms:
- dexterous, proficient, experienced
- Antonyms:
- unskillful
-
pertaining to, coming from, or characteristic of an expert.
expert work;
expert advice.
verb (used with object)
noun
adjective
-
skilful or knowledgeable
-
of, involving, or done by an expert
an expert job
Synonym Usage
See skillful.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of expert
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English, from Latin expertus “tried,” past participle of experīrī “to try”; cf. experience
Explanation
An expert is someone who knows a ton about the subject at hand. The adjective form of expert describes someone or something that has that special knowledge. If you get expert instruction, that means an expert is your teacher. The word expert is related to experience, and to be an expert at something you need experience. While your academic honors might suggest that you're an expert in certain areas, like rocket science, other fields — like wake boarding and tattoo art, for example — require more hands-on experience before you're an expert. The word expert is also an adjective: once you become really good at it, people will say you're an expert snake handler.
Vocabulary lists containing expert
Academic Vocabulary Toolkit 1, Words 41-50
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Words to Describe Yourself on a Resume
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Talk Like Shakespeare Day, List 7
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
An expert could analyze the individual brushstrokes on the statue to identify the exact origins of the bust, she said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
“The language is very similar,” said James Brown, an expert in Japan-Russia relations at Temple University in Tokyo.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
But now, there is a “premium” on traits that may not have been as highly regarded before the advent of AI, says workplace-performance expert Henna Pryor.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026
Spanish football expert Eduardo Alvarez believes Mourinho's appointment came about because club president Perez took inspiration from Carlo Ancelotti's successful second spell at the club.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
Katya died like a true Soviet fighter pilot, first filling an enemy fighter with bullets before using expert flight techniques to put out the flames that were engulfing her own plane.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
We've got technical engineers on site, our best experts who are on site with the Rail Accident Investigation Branch.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
For investors enthralled by soaring corporate profits, headlines about the painful consequences from climate change are largely just background noise, experts say.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
Some naval experts said the food concerns are overblown and that ships often run out of fresh food.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
But there are ways to stretch the conversion out over several years to minimize the tax bill, experts told MarketWatch.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026
Virginians were also the most adept at employing what Adams called “puffers,” what we would call “spinners” or public-relations experts.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
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.
