general practitioner
general practitioner — noun
1. A doctor who treats a wide range of everyday health problems—such as colds, infe
A doctor who treats a wide range of everyday health problems—such as colds, infections, and routine check-ups—and who usually works in a local clinic or practice rather than in a hospital.
Camille made an appointment with her general practitioner after three days of persistent coughing.
make an appointment with one’s general practitioner
Dr. Ramón works as a general practitioner in a small town, seeing everyone from newborns to elderly patients.
works as a general practitioner
When Minh’s daughter developed a high fever, he called the general practitioner for advice.
Kwame’s GP recommended a blood test after he had felt tired for several weeks.
- family doctor
more informal and personal, suggesting ongoing care for the whole family
- GP
the standard abbreviation, used in both spoken and written English
- primary care physician
more formal, common in administrative and insurance contexts
- specialist
a doctor who focuses on one specific area of medicine, such as cardiology or dermatology
文法句型
work as a general practitioner
see/visit/consult a general practitioner
用法筆記
Often shortened to ‘GP’ in everyday speech and writing—for example, ‘I’ll ask my GP about this rash.’
常見錯誤
2. A medical or veterinary professional whose work covers many different types of c
A medical or veterinary professional whose work covers many different types of conditions and treatments, rather than being limited to a single specialised field.
Unlike a cardiologist or a dermatologist, a general practitioner treats patients with a wide variety of symptoms and diagnoses.
contrast: specialist vs general practitioner
The term ‘general practitioner’ also describes veterinarians who treat dogs, cats and farm animals.
can apply to veterinarians
Noa chose to become a general practitioner to help patients with many types of health problems.
A remote-area general practitioner must handle everything from minor cuts to long-term illnesses with limited equipment.
- generalist
broader term used across medical and non-medical professions
- family physician
usually limited to human medicine, not veterinary
- specialist
a professional who focuses on a single area of medicine
文法句型
a general practitioner in [field]
work as a general practitioner