Synonyms

specialize

American

[spesh-uh-lahyz] / ˈspɛʃ əˌlaɪz /

especially British, specialise

verb (used without object)

to pursue some special line of study, work, etc.; have a specialty.

The doctor specializes in gastroenterology.
Biology. (of an organism or one of its organs) to be adapted to a special function or environment.

verb (used with object)

to render special or specific; invest with a special character, function, etc.
to adapt to special conditions; restrict to specific limits.
to restrict payment of (a negotiable instrument) by endorsing over to a specific payee.
to specify; particularize.

specialize British

/ ˈspɛʃəˌlaɪz /

verb

(intr) to train in or devote oneself to a particular area of study, occupation, or activity
(usually passive) to cause (organisms or their parts) to develop in a way most suited to a particular environment or way of life or (of organisms, etc) to develop in this way
(tr) to modify or make suitable for a special use or purpose
(tr) to mention specifically; specify
(tr) to endorse (a commercial paper) to a specific payee

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of specialize

From the French word spécialiser, dating back to 1605–15; see special, -ize

Explanation

To specialize is to narrow down your focus, in your studies or profession, to a specific field. If you love playing the accordion, perhaps you should specialize in polka music. If there’s a subject you think is special, specialize in it! For example, doctors start to specialize in medical school, when they study something specific such as podiatry (feet) or cardiology (hearts). Other professionals also specialize in smaller parts of larger fields, like lawyers who specialize in corporate law, or writers who specialize in TV comedies.

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Vocabulary lists containing specialize

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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.

See Examples For:

specialize specializes specialized specializing

Expect more than a dozen sculptural and diorama artists to contribute, along with those who specialize in mixed media for interactive and video content.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026

These funds specialize in using derivatives in ways that are particularly appealing to older, more risk-averse investors, ETF industry experts said.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026

Health professionals who specialize in eating disorders told me that the scrutiny can exacerbate illness, for both regular people and celebrities who might be struggling.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

WSJ | Buy Side: The best advisers for high-net-worth individuals often specialize in advanced estate planning, tax strategy and charitable giving to ensure their clients’ complex financial needs are met.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

For, much as actors specialize in pretending to be that which they are not, often with the use of clever disguises, noses made of putty and inscrutable accents, this parrot, too, was pretending.

From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood

Gloria Roldan Urgoiti, MD, is an oncologist who specializes in brain cancers, while Wee Yong, PhD, is a neuroscientist who studies how the immune system affects the brain.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 4, 2026

A study in mice now suggests that the drug may improve metabolism directly by activating brown adipose tissue, a form of fat that specializes in using energy.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 26, 2026

Historian Mark Ponte, who specializes in Black life in the Netherlands, says their ship would have been only one of hundreds in the busy port that fall.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026

We sometimes prioritize the opinions of those we are dating before we really know them, says Sabrina Romanoff, a clinical psychologist who specializes in dating.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 25, 2026

“Wouldn’t you know I’d hit a restaurant that specializes in game and wild foods. I’m back on the trail again.”

From "On the Far Side of the Mountain" by Jean Craighead George

The people tasked with the job of finding a usable vein and securing an IV are not phlebotomists with specialized training or nurses.

From Salon ● Oct. 3, 2026

Producing video once required specialized skills and expensive software; now, she said, “people have TikTok. And the way that you can film and edit there is way easier to learn.”

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 30, 2026

Despite the reptile's highly specialized swimming anatomy, its digestive organs appear to have retained a relatively simple arrangement.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 29, 2026

Universities once specialized in providing access to information, because information was scarce and expensive to acquire.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

“Not you specifically. It’s part of the specialized diet. Some of our residents can’t digest rich things the way they used to.”

From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen

After about a year, I found a doctor specializing in menopause who prescribed an estrogen patch, testosterone cream and progesterone pills.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

In earlier work, the researchers drew on the expertise of 12 international panelists specializing in internal medicine, geriatric medicine and clinical pharmacology to develop a list of 65 PIPCs.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 11, 2026

“No one can tell you with a straight face where interest rates are going,” Jim Lebenthal, who was a market strategist specializing in municipal bonds, wrote in 2009 in his now-classic “Lebenthal on Munis.”

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026

This is "a fairly new phenomenon in Bolivia," a "very safe country until a few years ago," Joaquin Chacin, an investigator specializing in organized crime, told AFP.

From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026

He trained in aviation metal- smithing, specializing in the repair of propellers.

From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023