as in veterans
a person with long experience in a specified area
with 25 years on the job, Vinnie was the old hand everyone went to with their problems
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of old hands
For all the negative coverage, aesthetic arguments about climbing styles, the controversies and disasters, Everest continues to be at the heart of so many dreams and ambitions — even for old hands, like Cotter.
—
Helen Regan, CNN Money, 30 May 2026
With Friday’s game teetering in the third quarter at the Moda Center, Spurs rookie Dylan Harper took matters into his 20-year-old hands and helped spark a stunning 120-108 victory that stole the Spurs a 2-1 lead in Western Conference first-round series.
—Jeff McDonald, San Antonio Express-News, 25 Apr. 2026
On the television side, however, the winning series for excellence in period, sci-fi/fantasy, and contemporary costumes were all old hands.
—Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 12 Feb. 2026
And the old hands who know their way around the Washington labyrinth mostly see the Tech Hamiltonians as a menace to be thwarted, and so use their talent and knowledge to work against rather than for the new regime.
—Walter Russell Mead, The Atlantic, 24 Jan. 2026
Helen Regan, CNN Money, 30 May 2026
With Friday’s game teetering in the third quarter at the Moda Center, Spurs rookie Dylan Harper took matters into his 20-year-old hands and helped spark a stunning 120-108 victory that stole the Spurs a 2-1 lead in Western Conference first-round series.
—Jeff McDonald, San Antonio Express-News, 25 Apr. 2026
On the television side, however, the winning series for excellence in period, sci-fi/fantasy, and contemporary costumes were all old hands.
—Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 12 Feb. 2026
And the old hands who know their way around the Washington labyrinth mostly see the Tech Hamiltonians as a menace to be thwarted, and so use their talent and knowledge to work against rather than for the new regime.
—Walter Russell Mead, The Atlantic, 24 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for old hands
veterans
Noun
-
The Avs are short on draft picks and prospects to use in trades, but there are also lots of teams with plenty of cap space who might want to add one of the Colorado veterans.—
Corey Masisak,
Denver Post,
31 May 2026
-
Three of those bands’ key members — Toto guitarist-vocalist Steve Lukather, former Average White Bands bassist/singer Hamish Stewart and Men At Work singer-guitarist Colin Hay — are All-Starr Band veterans.—
George Varga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
30 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Old hands.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/old%20hands. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
