geologist
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of geologist
Explanation
If you’re fascinated by rocks and spend hours digging for interesting samples in the backyard, you might be a budding geologist, a scientist who studies all things related to the Earth. A geologist is an expert in the field of geology, the study of what the Earth is made of and how it was formed. The woman on TV explaining the history of an active volcano that’s ready to erupt? She’s probably a geologist who specializes in volcanoes. Geologists can specialize in many different aspects of the field, ranging from earthquakes to soil erosion. What they all have in common is that they’re trying to figure out how the Earth works.
Vocabulary lists containing geologist
Occupations
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Earth Science - Middle School
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The Origins of Civilization, Lessons 1–2
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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.
In 2016, geologist Rowan Martindale was hiking across a hillside in Morocco when something unusual caught her eye.
From Science Daily • Apr. 3, 2026
The search began in 2019 in the Sahara Desert, where French geologist Hugues Faure had said he found a tooth belonging to the giant predator Carcharodontosaurus in the 1950s.
From Barron's • Feb. 27, 2026
He said his brother, José Manuel Castañeda Hernández, worked as a geologist.
From BBC • Feb. 9, 2026
Being a geologist, I can hear its story in my cognitive mind—of ancient mountain-building, recrystallization, eons of erosion, glacial polish and grave-digging.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 16, 2026
Like Holmes, Geological Survey geologist W J. McGee believed it was his duty to protect the temple of Science from profanation by incompetent and overimaginative amateurs.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
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.
