specialize

American  

[spesh-uh-lahyz] / ˈspɛʃ əˌlaɪz /

especially British, specialise

verb (used without object)

• specializes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• specialized,
  past participle,  past
• specializing
  present participle

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

   The doctor specializes in gastroenterology.

2. Biology. (of an organism or one of its organs) to be adapted to a special function or environment.

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verb (used with object)

• specializes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• specialized,
  past participle,  past
• specializing
  present participle

1. to render special or specific; invest with a special character, function, etc.

2. to adapt to special conditions; restrict to specific limits.

3. to restrict payment of (a negotiable instrument) by endorsing over to a specific payee.

4. to specify; particularize.

specialize British  

/ ˈspɛʃəˌlaɪz /

verb

1. (intr) to train in or devote oneself to a particular area of study, occupation, or activity

2. (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

3. (tr) to modify or make suitable for a special use or purpose

4. (tr) to mention specifically; specify

5. (tr) to endorse (a commercial paper) to a specific payee

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• specialization
  noun
• overspecialize
  verb
• subspecialize
  verb
• prespecialize
  verb (used without object)
• superspecialize
  verb (used without object)
• nonspecializing
  adjective
• unspecializing
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• specializing
  present
• specialized
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• specialize
  simple
• specializes
  simple
• have specialized
  perfect
• has specialized
  perfect
• am specializing
  progressive
• are specializing
  progressive
• is specializing
  progressive
• have been specializing
  perfect progressive
• has been specializing
  perfect progressive

Past

• specialized
  simple
• had specialized
  perfect
• was specializing
  progressive
• were specializing
  progressive
• had been specializing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will specialize
  simple
• will have specialized
  perfect
• will be specializing
  progressive
• will have been specializing
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of specialize

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

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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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

specialize specializes specialized specializing

The first involves retinoic acid, a molecule produced from vitamin A. Retinoic acid helps regulate how cells develop and specialize throughout the body.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 31, 2026

As ecologist Doug Tallamy has chronicled, over 90% of herbivorous insects specialize on one or a few native plant lineages.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026

As these precursor cells mature, they must build new cellular structures, produce fats, and activate genes that allow them to specialize in storing energy.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 24, 2026

More supervised learning for undergraduates will require new faculty to specialize in teaching, meaning that more college professors in the future will be preceptors rather than research academics.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026

I was about to hang up, then I said, “Well, as long as you’ve gone this far, call Argosy on Fifty-ninth Street. They specialize in out-of-print stuff.”

From "The Princess Bride" by William Goldman

While chip maker Marvell specializes in networking and switches, Lumentum specializes in fiber optics.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 2, 2026

Stewart would later work with the charity Refuge, which specializes in domestic abuse.

From Barron's ● Oct. 29, 2026

Some major studios have developed such projects with written scripts and hired directors, said Strawn Dixon, an agent at the United Talent Agency who specializes in animation.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2026

Varonis specializes in securing sensitive corporate data and managing access controls, while Proofpoint primarily focuses on email protection and user-level threat defense.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 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

These changes interfere with normal brain function and are associated with the progressive loss of neurons, the specialized cells responsible for transmitting information throughout the brain.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 3, 2026

That makes it difficult to use traditional animal models to investigate how these specialized cells develop.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 31, 2026

Maintainers constantly repair aircraft, ordnance handlers load and unload munitions, and specialized mechanics fix engines in the carrier’s jet shop.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026

It is prone to breakdowns and difficult to fix, as replacement parts and specialized engineers are in short supply.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

The changes are made in orderly fashion, step by step, each step directed and controlled by an enzyme of so specialized a function that it does this one thing and nothing else.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

At Cabrio, a 5th-district newcomer specializing in small plates and natural wines, head chef Tamás Albrecht pickles in-house, opting for a fruitier vinegar than Hungarians traditionally prefer.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

So it came to be that I found myself walking a lush, wooded trail with psychotherapist Ismary Colón Angueira, an L.A.-based ecotherapist specializing in walking therapy.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026

The biggest AI companies are racking up potential legal liabilities running into the tens—if not hundreds—of billions of dollars, as AI adoption spreads through the economy, according to insurers specializing in AI risks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

Andrew McHill, Ph.D., a study co-author and associate professor specializing in sleep and circadian physiology at OHSU, said the findings strengthen existing evidence that the timing of everyday activities can have important health consequences.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 15, 2026

I told him I was studying hard because I wanted to become either a veterinarian or a geologist specializing in the Miocene period, when the mountains out west were formed.

From "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls

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