general practitioner

noun

: 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 An 8-year-old girl died of sepsis after being sent home from her general practitioner twice. Vanessa Etienne, Peoplemag, 16 Sep. 2024 Published exclusively by The Independent, the research revealed that nearly 5 million hours of general practitioner (GP) time are wasted annually on unnecessary menopause appointments, largely attributed to a lack of knowledge among healthcare professionals. Sandra Rose Salathe, Flow Space, 9 Aug. 2024 Mikey is like a tragic Gen X doc who never finished residency and wound up working as a general practitioner in the family medical practice. Abraham Nussbaum, STAT, 6 Aug. 2024 Her general practitioner encouraged her to visit an endocrinologist after experiencing symptoms such as a racing heart rate, weight loss, fatigue and tremors. Tatiana Tenreyro, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for general practitioner 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'general practitioner.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1810, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of general practitioner was in 1810

Dictionary Entries Near general practitioner

Cite this Entry

“General practitioner.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/general%20practitioner. Accessed 10 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

general practitioner

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

Medical Definition

general practitioner

noun
: 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
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

More from Merriam-Webster on general practitioner

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