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
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
But Latta is an old hand on the committee and a longtime nuclear energy booster.
—Daniel Moore, Axios, 15 Feb. 2025
The mixture of new blood and old hands, Long says, helps the agency identify new directions and figure out the best way to fund them.
—Byjeffrey Mervis, science.org, 7 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for old hand
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
But Latta is an old hand on the committee and a longtime nuclear energy booster.
—Daniel Moore, Axios, 15 Feb. 2025
The mixture of new blood and old hands, Long says, helps the agency identify new directions and figure out the best way to fund them.
—Byjeffrey Mervis, science.org, 7 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for old hand
Recent Examples of Synonyms for old hand
veteran
Noun
-
Its proposals to support grocery stores in stocking more produce, introduce markets to food deserts, serve healthy meals to students and veterans, and limit junk-food ads targeted at children all sound promising, but the report offers few specifics on implementation.—
Yasmin Tayag,
The Atlantic,
14 Sep. 2025
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According to a statement from the North Little Rock police Department, Norman, a 27-year veteran of the department, was charged with one count of domestic battery in the third degree.—
Daniel McFadin,
Arkansas Online,
14 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Old hand.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/old%20hand. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
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