dentist

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noun den·tist \ ˈden-təst \

Definition of dentist

:one who is skilled in and licensed to practice the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases, injuries, and malformations of the teeth, jaws, and mouth and who makes and inserts false teeth

See dentist defined for English-language learners

See dentist defined for kids

Examples of dentist in a Sentence

I saw her at the dentist last week.
He goes to the dentist's for a check-up every six months.

Recent Examples of dentist from the Web

Other possibilities are commercial development lawyers, architects, real estate agents and dentists.

— Naperville Sun, "Letters to the editor: Many views of old Nichols Library," 18 Aug. 2017
Taking to Twitter to recount her fateful morning in the dentist's chair, Biles decided to share a few selfies of her mouth filled with cotton swabs in the car ride home.

— devon ivie, Teen Vogue, "Simone Biles Posts Wisdom Tooth Removal Video," 27 July 2017
The company also offers continuing education courses for dentists, dental hygienists and laboratory technicians at its training center, which is outfitted with work stations and a laboratory.

— mike nolan, Daily Southtown, "Dental products firm expands facility in Alsip," 10 July 2017
Collazos pleaded guilty to one count each of battery, practicing dentistry without a license, practicing health care without a license and possession of dental equipment by a non-dentist.

— david j. neal, miamiherald, "Inability to keep his hands to himself takes a bite out of fake dentist’s freedom," 4 July 2017
Reeves, who became a dentist after serving in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, averaged 13.5 points per game as a senior guiding U of L to the 1948 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics title.

— jeff greer, The Courier-Journal, "Louisville basketball | U of L Hall of Famer, former Cards star dies," 3 July 2017
Garza is a single mom with four kids who found out on a recent trip to the dentist that her kids’ Medicaid coverage had been canceled.

— andy marso, kansascity.com, "UHC grant helps Wyandotte County residents navigate maze of health care and social services," 28 June 2017
Hospitals, doctors and dentists don’t get paid for hundreds of millions of dollars of patient care.

— douglas belkin, WSJ, "How Bad Is the Crisis in Illinois? It Has $14.6 Billion in Unpaid Bills," 27 June 2017
Kinville and a large number of shareholders are also angry that the salary and benefits of CEO Ken Cameron, a shareholder and former dentist, have tended to rise even as the company's bottom line, or net income, remained in the red.

— jeannette lee falsey, Alaska Dispatch News, "Alaska Native corporation in Sitka faces shareholder uprising as revenues drop and CEO pay rises," 26 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'dentist.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of dentist

French dentiste, from dent

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1746

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DENTIST Defined for English Language Learners

dentist

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noun

Definition of dentist for English Language Learners

: a person whose job is to care for people's teeth
the dentist : the place where a dentist works

DENTIST Defined for Kids

dentist

play

noun den·tist \ ˈden-təst \

Definition of dentist for Students

:a person whose profession is the care, treatment, and repair of the teeth

Medical Dictionary

dentist

play

noun den·tist \ ˈdent-əst \

medical Definition of dentist

:a licensed practitioner who is skilled in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases, injuries, and malformations of the teeth, jaws, and mouth and who makes and inserts false teeth

Learn More about dentist

Spanish Central: Translation of dentist Nglish: Translation of dentist for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of dentist for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about dentist

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dentist

Definition of dentist

Examples of dentist in a Sentence

Recent Examples of dentist from the Web

Origin and Etymology of dentist

DENTIST Defined for English Language Learners

dentist

Definition of dentist for English Language Learners

DENTIST Defined for Kids

dentist

Definition of dentist for Students

Medical Dictionary

dentist

medical Definition of dentist

Learn More about dentist

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DENTIST Defined for English Language Learners

dentist

Definition of dentist for English Language Learners

DENTIST Defined for Kids

dentist

Definition of dentist for Students

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dentist

medical Definition of dentist

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