expertise
1 Americanverb (used with or without object)
noun
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.
Nevertheless, do the investors in the purchasing fund realize that its returns are artificially boosted by an accounting gimmick instead of investing expertise?
From MarketWatch • Apr. 27, 2026
"MADMAX carries out a similar experiment on a much larger and more complex scale, and we benefited from their expertise and support."
From Science Daily • Apr. 27, 2026
Its customers need to build enough clean rooms to house the machines they want to buy, a massive undertaking that requires construction expertise, power hookups and abundant energy supplies.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 25, 2026
As other countries have built up their incentive programs, production infrastructure and crew expertise, filming has increasingly moved overseas.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 23, 2026
“You must have Cherokee blood,” she said of the straightness, when all I had was Big Ma’s hot comb and Mrs.’s curling expertise.
From "P.S. Be Eleven" by Rita Williams-Garcia
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.
