as in veteran
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 hand
Two newcomers and an old hand will fill three open seats on the seven-member board that oversees the multibillion-dollar Blueprint for Maryland’s Future education reform plan, as the program enters its fourth year of implementation.
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William J. Ford, Baltimore Sun, 21 Aug. 2025
New volunteers join old hands Like Barrett, Jesse Cupp is new to public protest.
—Patricia Gallagher Newberry, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
At a tournament without Cristiano Ronaldo or Lamine Yamal, and with Kylian Mbappé’s availability for Real Madrid in question, the old hand of Messi was needed for a competition in dire need of a spark.
—Felipe Cardenas, New York Times, 20 June 2025
Director Len Wiseman is an old hand at franchise filmmaking, having made the first two Underworld films and Live Free or Die Hard (2007), which doesn’t stop everything from somehow feeling a tad chintzy.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 4 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for old hand
Recent Examples of Synonyms for old hand
veteran
Noun
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The coalition’s duties include advising city staff on veteran issues, selecting the annual Veteran of the Year and contributing to the maintenance of the city’s veterans memorial.—
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Derrick Merrin, her 2024 challenger, is launching a rematch, and Air Force veteran Alea Nadeem is also vying for the Republican nomination.—
Cite this Entry
“Old hand.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/old%20hand. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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