troubleshooter
Americannoun
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an expert in discovering and eliminating the cause of problems or malfunctions in software, mechanical equipment, power lines, etc..
An experienced troubleshooter can make power outages much shorter.
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a person with special skill in resolving disputes, impasses, etc., as in business, national, or international affairs.
She's worked as a diplomatic troubleshooter in the Middle East.
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of troubleshooter
Explanation
A troubleshooter is a person who fixes things or solves problems after zeroing in on their sources. When your car refuses to start, you may need to pay a mechanic to act as a troubleshooter. Computer experts often act as troubleshooters for big companies, diagnosing and repairing any trouble that arises in the computer network. Editors can be troubleshooters for filmmakers, deleting extra scenes and combining others in ways that solve problems with the narrative. In either case, troubleshooters deal with problems. The original troubleshooter, from the 1890's, was a telegraph or telephone line repairman.
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.
Since Walter Mondale, vice presidents have come to view their role as that of top adviser to the president—senior troubleshooter, constant surrogate, head of a few special “portfolios.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 16, 2026
Ministers have been facing growing demands to reveal which areas are running grooming gang inquires alongside the review in Oldham, and a three-month audit of national evidence being led by government troubleshooter Baroness Louise Casey.
From BBC ● Apr. 30, 2025
He led seminars throughout the region and became a roving troubleshooter for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2024
He previously served as education minister, led the response to the coronavirus pandemic, and become the Labour Party’s unofficial troubleshooter.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 25, 2023
Colonel Cargill, General Peckem’s troubleshooter, was a forceful, ruddy man.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
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.
