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
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
-
And the veterans were lauded for their service by grateful citizens, whether in France, in Germany, or at home.—
Kevin Maurer,
The Atlantic,
6 June 2026
-
In May, Hegseth awarded Purple Hearts to nine veterans at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, who were wounded in a 2003 attack at Camp Pennsylvania, Kuwait.—
Steve Beynon,
ABC News,
6 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Old hands.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/old%20hands. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.
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