general practitioner

noun

Definition of general practitioner

: a physician or veterinarian whose practice is not limited to a specialty broadly : generalist

Examples of general practitioner in a Sentence

Our family doctor is a general practitioner.

Recent Examples on the Web Janese credited her faith and the advice of her general practitioner to stay optimistic about Janice. — Travis Caldwell, CNN, "Delta gifts employee who battled Covid-19 for months a first-class trip anywhere in the world," 23 Dec. 2020 Helen Salisbury, a general practitioner in the English city of Oxford, told the BBC's Today program Friday that her practice had not as yet canceled existing second appointments next week. — Laura Smith-spark And Nada Bashir, CNN, "UK chief medical officers defend delay of second Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine doses," 1 Jan. 2021 In that time, Schaefer has seen a general practitioner and a pulmonologist. — Tim Gruver, Washington Examiner, "No one knows when a COVID-19 vaccine will be available for Washington state's 'long-haulers'," 28 Dec. 2020 After months of staying at home in New York City during the pandemic, travel writer Sarah Khan called her general practitioner for advice on getting tested for the coronavirus before a potential train trip to see her aging parents. — Katie Shepherd, Washington Post, "Additional doses of Pfizer vaccine won’t be available to the U.S. until summer, sources say," 8 Dec. 2020 My general practitioner ordered a mammogram with ultrasound as part of the testing. — Kai Mcgee, Marie Claire, "A Devastating Choice: Deciding Between a Lumpectomy or Mastectomy," 5 Oct. 2020 For patients who rely on these mail-only services, Hennebery adds that a general practitioner will often prescribe birth control if needed. — Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, "USPS delays threaten women’s access to birth control," 27 Aug. 2020 Last year, the median wait between referral from a general practitioner and receipt of treatment from a specialist was nearly 21 weeks. — Sally C. Pipes, National Review, "The Canadian Health-Care Scare," 24 Aug. 2020 Gavin Francis, a doctor in Edinburgh, Scotland, writes candidly for The Guardian about his life as a general practitioner (GP) being turned upside down by COVID-19. — Carolyn Wells, Longreads, "Caring Without Touching," 10 Aug. 2020

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

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about general practitioner

Dictionary Entries near general practitioner

Statistics for general practitioner

Last Updated

24 Jan 2021

Cite this Entry

“General practitioner.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/general%20practitioner. Accessed 28 Feb. 2021.

Style: MLA

MLA

Chicago

APA

Merriam-Webster

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for general practitioner

general practitioner

noun

English Language Learners Definition of general practitioner

: a person (especially a doctor) whose work is not limited to a special area : a person who is not a specialist

See the full definition for general practitioner in the English Language Learners Dictionary

general practitioner

noun

Medical Definition of general practitioner

: a physician or veterinarian whose practice is not limited to a specialty Dr. Thomas, Sr., could carry virtually the full armamentarium of the medicine of his day in a single black bag, and very nearly all of medical knowledge in his head. Today the general practitioner is a vanishing breed, and specialists cannot use their time effectively traveling from patient to patient.— John Steele Gordon, American Heritage, 3 May 1992 The primary-care doctor is gaining new respect in Washington. Battles may be breaking out left and right over the various health-care bills emerging from Congress, but reformers on both sides agree that general practitioners should be given a central role in uniting the fragmented U.S. medical system.— Catherine Arnst, Business Week, 6 July 2009