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.
The court heard the men had proven expertise to fell a large tree with a video of them doing so filmed just weeks before.
From BBC • Apr. 29, 2025
And to take up this challenge Senegal would be well advised to make use of all the proven expertise of researchers as well as economic players.
From Salon • Jan. 25, 2023
Usually it is proven expertise as an economist or substantial experience working in the financial sector.
From New York Times • Apr. 11, 2019
Readers ask questions about historical subjects ranging from ancient history to the modern day, and people with proven expertise in that particular subject—working historians—answer them with in-depth and comprehensive answers supported by scholarly sources.
From Slate • Jul. 20, 2018
It’s not that Johnson has the proven expertise to sign or trade or shape an NBA roster.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 2, 2017
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.
