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
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Recent Examples of old hands
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
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
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The coming-of-age boxing drama opened to strong box office results in Taiwan in January and stars Golden Horse best new performer nominee Lin Yi-ting alongside veterans Tsai Chen-nan and You An-shun.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
14 Feb. 2026
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Kudrna plans to continue working with the veterans in camp this spring.—
Jaylon Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
14 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Old hands.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/old%20hands. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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