expertise
1 Americanverb (used with or without object)
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of expertise
First recorded in 1865–70; from French: “survey, report (made by experts),” with -ise understood as an abstract noun suffix; see expert, -ise 2
Explanation
When you're an expert at something, you show expertise — or an exceptional knowledge of the subject. "He had expertise in accounting, having excelled in math, but he had even more expertise in dancing, his hobby since a small child." Expertise has obvious roots in the word expert. Just about any interest or field has a place for experts. Just as one individual has expertise in world religions, another may have expertise in computer gaming. Working hard or immersing yourself in a specialty leads to expertise, and it comes through both study and hands-on experience.
Vocabulary lists containing expertise
Academic Vocabulary Toolkit 1, Words 41-50
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"The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak, Part Eight
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English Words Derived from French, List 4
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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.
Chen urged tech firms and governments to work with "communities with diverse backgrounds and expertise" to develop more culturally sensitive AI tools.
From Barron's • Jun. 30, 2026
Poon reportedly pointed to automated tools lacking the training and expertise of veteran technicians - many of whom he said had left the company before their knowledge could be used to improve its tech.
From BBC • Jun. 29, 2026
Among the recent hires: a full-time biodiversity manager to provide ecological expertise for the royal lands.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 26, 2026
Princeton’s labs didn’t have the technical expertise in carbon capture that the other two schools had.
From Salon • Jun. 26, 2026
“This parchment is plainly full of Dark Magic. This is supposed to be your area of expertise, Lupin. Where do you imagine Potter got such a thing?”
From "Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban" by J.K. Rowling
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.
