specialize

verb

spe·​cial·​ize ˈspe-shə-ˌlīz 

specialized; specializing

1

intransitive

a

: to concentrate one's efforts in a special activity, field, or practice

a doctor who specializes in pediatrics

an attorney who specializes in estate planning

Everywhere, the pressure is on young people to specialize.

—Donald Kaul

b

: to have a characteristic, habitual way of behaving, speaking, etc.

… the halftime commentator on ESPN 2, who specialized in inanities throughout the tournament …

—Jonathan Wilson

… a computer industry that seems to specialize in simultaneous hype and obfuscation …

—Walter S. Mossberg

The anti-environmental presidency was orchestrated by administration insiders who have specialized in being out of touch …

—Gregg Easterbrook

2

intransitive biology : to undergo specialization (see specialization sense 2) or differentiation

As cells begin to specialize into adult tissues, methylation seems to inactivate genes that are no longer needed.

—John Travis

especially : to change adaptively

… diversity comes about because each different fish has to specialize, to find its own niche where it can do better than its competitors.

—Kenneth E. F. Watt

3

transitive : to apply or direct (something or someone) to a specific end, use, or specialty

specialized their study

… media are evolving so quickly that education of the future will probably be forced to specialize students in one or another media-type, no longer producing a single "literate" man.

—Henry G. Burger

Even some small police departments have seen fit to specialize their investigative units …

—Daniel S. McDevitt

4

transitive dated : to make particular mention of (something) : specify, particularize

… Edward dares not specialize what alone he dreads.

—Edward Bulwer-Lytton

Examples of specialize in a Sentence

Some carpenters do a wide range of jobs, while others specialize.

Recent Examples on the Web

Investigative journalists specializing in crime and corruption reporting will pitch their stories to filmmakers and series at the first Floodlight Summit, which kicks off in Cartagena, Colombia on Thursday, Nov. 30, and runs through Dec. 3. —Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Nov. 2023

Neurologists are doctors who specialize in diagnosing and treating diseases of the brain and the central nervous system. —Margie Zable Fisher, Fortune Well, 26 Nov. 2023

Dalpat Rajpurohit, a South Asia scholar who specializes in early Hindi literature at University of Texas at Austin, notes that conservative Hindus also express admiration for Kabir. —Kalpana Jain, The Christian Science Monitor, 21 Nov. 2023

Then in 2018, Bourgeois hired the DNA Doe Project, a volunteer research group that specializes in forensic genealogy analysis. —CBS News, 20 Nov. 2023

Katie Weir is a lingerie expert and the PR and content manager at Curvy Kate, a wholesale lingerie and swimsuit retailer that specializes in D-K cup sizing. —Courtney Leiva, Peoplemag, 20 Nov. 2023

The restaurant specializes in serving the Brazilian cowboy menu known as rodizio. —Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Nov. 2023

Iceland does have those sorts of volcanoes, but the Reykjanes Peninsula also specializes in fissure-style eruptions: cracks in the ground that open, often with little warning, when magma below forces its way to the surface. —WIRED, 16 Nov. 2023

About this story This report is part of a joint investigation by The Washington Post and The Examination, a new nonprofit newsroom specializing in global public health reporting. —Anahad O’Connor, Washington Post, 15 Nov. 2023

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Word History

First Known Use

1616, in the meaning defined at sense 4

Phrases Containing specialize

• sub-specialize

• sub-specialize

Kids Definition

specialize

verb

spe·​cial·​ize ˈspesh-ə-ˌlīz 

specialized; specializing

1

: to limit one's attention or energy to one business, subject, or study

2

: to undergo specialization

Medical Definition

specialize

intransitive verb

spe·​cial·​ize

variants also British specialise

ˈspesh-ə-ˌlīz 

specialized also British specialised; specializing also British specialising

1

: to concentrate one's efforts in a special activity or field : become or be a specialist

specialize in anesthesiology

2

: to undergo evolutionary specialization