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:
"In view of the current disaster, the law is outdated," says constitutional law expert, Bipin Adhikari.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
The consumer rights expert says they should contact the organisation themselves afterwards through separate means.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
“I’m an expert on rebellion,” Jordan told The Times in 1992, reflecting on why she ran away from home at 14.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2026
Irkutsk Regional Governor Igor Kobzev said Monday that a special expert commission inspection in the region had found that "the cause of death was pneumonia of undetermined aetiology".
From Barron's ● Oct. 5, 2026
“There is a fortune-teller there, an expert on curses and all things supernatural, who may be able to help us yet—but there is not much time.”
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
As stunned math experts began to absorb the results, even a researcher inside Anthropic called OpenAI’s release “obviously the most significant moment in mathematical history.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
So she hired some billing experts to learn how patients could save and began posting tips.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
The Southland has experienced hot Octobers in the past, but if this feels different, it’s because it is, according to climate experts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
Quebec is among the hardest hit by the latest US tariffs, with experts at global forecasting firm Oxford Economics projecting a C$2bn blow for the province.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
Farmer confidently told them he had consulted world-renowned experts and read all the literature.
From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French
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.
