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

Separately, right before the pandemic hit in February 2020, my general practitioner began noticing my prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels were increasing. —Rachel Chang, Travel + Leisure, 4 Sep. 2024

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

Word History

First Known Use

1810, in the meaning defined above

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