veterinarian
Americannoun
-
veterinarians
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of veterinarian
1640–50; < Latin veterīnāri ( us ) veterinary + -an
Explanation
A veterinarian is a doctor for animals. When it’s time for your dog to get his shots, you take him to the veterinarian. A veterinarian is someone who treats, cures, and prevents diseases in animals. If you want to become a veterinarian, start studying hard! Much like a people doctor, a veterinarian must have formal training before practicing — typically 4 years of veterinary medicine coursework after completing an undergraduate degree. The word veterinarian is often shortened to “vet.” You might look at your dog and say, “Time to go to the vet!”
Vocabulary lists containing veterinarian
Power Suffix: -arian
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Occupations
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Shiloh
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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:
A veterinarian for the state said that Peachy has largely recovered since the event but has a now has a more anxious demeanour around humans.
From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026
He toyed with the idea of becoming a veterinarian, but after noticing that winemakers seemed a lot happier than vets, he decided to study winemaking instead.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
But an insurance policy for your pet doesn’t simply wipe those costs away, noted Quammen, a practicing veterinarian.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026
Rachel Burrow, a veterinarian and lecturer at the University of Liverpool, helped with both Masaya's CT scan and the subsequent operation.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 8, 2026
One day Theresa heard that the super’s dog had been sent to the veterinarian, something serious.
From "Typical American" by Gish Jen
Still, the finding suggests that genetic information could eventually help doctors and veterinarians identify treatments that work better for particular tumors.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 27, 2026
Washington would need to mobilize ranchers, geneticists, veterinarians, universities and the U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026
“He has been examined by one of our veterinarians, who noted several minor wounds with areas of swelling,” said Kevin McManus, a spokesperson for Pasadena Humane.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
They added that 13% of those veterinarians now cite a declining pet population as a worry.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026
With that, everyone dashed off to find two veterinarians.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
