physician
Americannoun
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a person who is legally qualified to practice medicine; doctor of medicine.
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a person engaged in general medical practice, as distinguished from one specializing in surgery.
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a person who is skilled in the art of healing.
noun
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a person legally qualified to practise medicine, esp one specializing in areas of treatment other than surgery; doctor of medicine
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archaic any person who treats diseases; healer
Other Word Forms
- physicianly adjective
Etymology
Origin of physician
1175–1225; physic + -ian ( -ician ); replacing Middle English fisicien < Old French
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.
The approach applies to items marketed and labeled as dietary supplements and provided to insurance beneficiaries under the direction of a physician.
From Barron's • Apr. 2, 2026
David, whose name I’ve changed because he is still serving, is a lieutenant colonel and physician in the Army Reserve.
From Slate • Apr. 1, 2026
Still, he didn’t return to face his accusers, and the UAE appeared to have little inclination to extradite him, said Ahmad Hadi, 48, a physician who is Ashaal’s brother-in-law.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026
His physician has told him that he needs to move permanently into a nursing home where he can receive rehabilitation services several times a week.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 26, 2026
He had never graduated from college but had fooled hospital officials into believing he was a trained physician with expertise in psychiatry.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
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.
