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

Patients with heart failure are misdiagnosed at a rate of 16% in hospitals and nearly 70% when general practitioners refer patients to specialists, according to a study in the Journal of Cardiac Failure. —Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 2 July 2024

Yapping with your pals and acquaintances—the ultimate low-tech research—is a really useful way to find a general practitioner, experts tell SELF. —Kathleen Felton, SELF, 27 June 2024

Published exclusively on The Independent, the study revealed that nearly five million hours of general practitioner (GP) time are wasted annually on unnecessary menopause appointments, largely attributed to the lack of knowledge among healthcare professionals. —Sandra Rose Salathe, Flow Space, 25 June 2024

The town has many general practitioners to choose from, as well as some specialists. —Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 10 June 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