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
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
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:
“A substantial share of devices reach the next owner without an expert having examined what’s left on them, leaving the door open to cyberattacks,” says Shahaf.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
Donald Trump has always believed himself to be an expert at what he calls “nuclear,” due to the fact that his uncle, John Trump, was a physicist who taught at MIT.
From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026
"They've got to come to terms with the lack of trust in Britain," royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told AFP.
From Barron's ● Aug. 23, 2026
BBC Sport football expert Chris Sutton, his guests and the BBC readers will be hoping to strike back, and land a blow for the human race.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
After a year of Shack & Shop duty, Chase was an expert organizer.
From "Storm Runners" by Roland Smith
“Unfortunately, we’re all in the same boat. The experts don’t know,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
Let me conclude with a few gems from the experts I spoke to about life in your 70s.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 23, 2026
A competitive contract isn’t necessarily a bad thing, experts say.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026
Some 100 days later, there are now more than 2,500 dead, with half of them in the past three weeks, according to UN experts.
From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026
After some consultation, German grammar experts agreed that Kennedy had spoken correctly.
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
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.
