specialize
Americanverb (used without object)
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specializes,
present (3rd person singular)
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specialized,
past participle, past
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specializing
present participle
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to pursue some special line of study, work, etc.; have a specialty.
The doctor specializes in gastroenterology.
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Biology. (of an organism or one of its organs) to be adapted to a special function or environment.
verb (used with object)
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specializes,
present (3rd person singular)
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specialized,
past participle, past
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specializing
present participle
-
to render special or specific; invest with a special character, function, etc.
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to adapt to special conditions; restrict to specific limits.
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to restrict payment of (a negotiable instrument) by endorsing over to a specific payee.
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to specify; particularize.
verb
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(intr) to train in or devote oneself to a particular area of study, occupation, or activity
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(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
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(tr) to modify or make suitable for a special use or purpose
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(tr) to mention specifically; specify
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(tr) to endorse (a commercial paper) to a specific payee
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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specializationnoun
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overspecializeverb
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subspecializeverb
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prespecializeverb (used without object)
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superspecializeverb (used without object)
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nonspecializingadjective
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unspecializingadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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specializesimple
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specializessimple
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have specializedperfect
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has specializedperfect
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am specializingprogressive
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are specializingprogressive
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is specializingprogressive
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have been specializingperfect progressive
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has been specializingperfect progressive
Past
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specializedsimple
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had specializedperfect
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was specializingprogressive
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were specializingprogressive
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had been specializingperfect progressive
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.
Vocabulary lists containing specialize
Drama
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-ize
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African Civilizations, Lessons 1–2
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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:
And a dwindling number of attorneys who specialize in death penalty cases meant 70% of condemned inmates did not have a lawyer at the end of last year, according to a state report.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
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
Users can tailor weights to their purposes, making an AI model specialize in one narrow area, for example, and reject questions outside that domain.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 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
“It is harder to do business with companies that have been convicted of felonies,” said Matthew Axelrod, a partner at Gibson Dunn who specializes in sanctions enforcement.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
Getting married is one of the biggest financial decisions you’ll ever make, notes Sarah Luetto, a partner at the law firm BlankRome who specializes in matrimonial and family law.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026
“It does not inspire confidence to know that this kind of wild understatement happened,” said Andrew Granato, a law professor at the University of Texas at Austin who specializes in corporate finance and insurance.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026
Singh worked with Jyoti Katoch, an associate professor of physics who specializes in fabricating devices from such materials.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 3, 2026
Though many mothers expect the separations to be short, typically they last six to eight years, says Analuisa Espinoza, a Los Angeles Unified School District social worker who specializes in immigrants.
From "Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario
Researchers plan to use advanced computational modeling and artificial intelligence to design specialized biomolecules and predict how they will interact with silicon-rich waste.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 19, 2026
While Novo’s and some other studies found no increased risk, another from a specialized eye center reported nearly an eightfold increase.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026
Neiden, the 27 year-old founder of Candle House, has long specialized in one-on-one phone productions designed to be done from the caller’s home.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
The solution is essentially an array of specialized sensors that allows a Digit 5 to reliably detect people in its vicinity and slow its movements the closer someone gets to it.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026
“Heuristic” is a more specialized, single-purpose word, derived from Indo-European wer, meaning to find, then taken up in Greek as heuriskein, from which Archimedes was provided with Heureka!
From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas
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
She is a journalist specializing in luxury travel, restaurants, wine and wellness and lives in Chicago.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
He runs a travel agency, specializing in Mexico.
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
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.
