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Synonyms

expert

American  
[ek-spurt, ek-spurt, ik-spurt] / ˈɛk spɜrt, ˈɛk spɜrt, ɪkˈspɜrt /

noun

  • experts
    plural
  1. a person who has special skill or knowledge in some particular field; specialist; authority.

    a language expert.

    Synonyms:
    master, connoisseur
  2. Military.

    1. the highest rating in rifle marksmanship, above that of marksman and sharpshooter.

    2. a person who has achieved such a rating.


adjective

  1. 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
  2. pertaining to, coming from, or characteristic of an expert.

    expert work;

    expert advice.

verb (used with object)

  1. to act as an expert for.

expert British  
/ ˈɛkspɜːt /

noun

  1. a person who has extensive skill or knowledge in a particular field

"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

adjective

  1. skilful or knowledgeable

  2. of, involving, or done by an expert

    an expert job

"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

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.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing expert

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

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