Showing results for term of art. Search instead for Term of abuse.

term of art

American

noun

a word or phrase that has a specific or precise meaning within a given discipline or field and might have a different meaning in common usage.

Set is a term of art used by mathematicians, and burden of proof is a term of art used by lawyers.

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Not to use a term of art here, but I have to hedge my answer.

From Barron's • Mar. 28, 2026

The metastatic growth of the upper-middle-class house has led to a familiar term of art: the McMansion.

From Slate • Mar. 6, 2025

“First, several scholars have argued that the term ‘officer of the United States’ is a term of art.

From Salon • Jan. 4, 2024

Adaptive reuse is the architectural term of art to describe what Adjaye has done with the ice plant.

From New York Times • Feb. 15, 2023

The word "trust" has become a term of art.

From Popular Law-making by Stimson, Frederic Jesup

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