old hand

noun

A person who is experienced at a certain activity.

“Near-synonyms: insider, initiate; habitué”

Meanings

nounold hand (plural old hands)

plural old hands

  1. idiomaticA person who is experienced at a certain activity.

    Near-synonyms: insider, initiate; habitué

    2 more examples

    My tax advisor is an old hand at dealing with auditors.

    The media, needless to say, are very pro-Bloomberg. He’s an old hand at stroking reporters and television executives, and few of them have raised the fact that it was Rudy who inherited a lawless city with crime out of control and over eight years, via his ‘broken windows’ theory, turned Gotham into the safest big city on the planet.

    2020 March 2, Taki Theodoracopulos, “What makes Bloomie run?”, in The Spectator (US edition)

    Synonyms: veteran, warhorse, insider, initiate, habitué

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA person who is experienced at a certain activity.

More synonyms by meaning

nounan experienced person who has been through many battles; someone who has given long service

Broader

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Translations

Czech mazák, starý kozák
  • mazákexperienced person at certain activity
  • starý kozákexperienced person at certain activity
Dutch oude rot
  • oude rotexperienced person at certain activity
Finnish vanha tekijä, konkari
  • vanha tekijäexperienced person at certain activity
  • konkariexperienced person at certain activity
German alter Hase, Routinier
  • alter Haseexperienced person at certain activity
  • Routinierexperienced person at certain activity
Italian veterano, esperto
  • veteranoexperienced person at certain activity
  • espertoexperienced person at certain activity
Latin veterātor
  • veterātorexperienced person at certain activity
Polish wyjadacz, wyjadaczka
  • wyjadaczexperienced person at certain activity
  • wyjadaczkaexperienced person at certain activity
  • wygaexperienced person at certain activity
  • stary wróbelexperienced person at certain activity
Romanian veteran
  • veteranexperienced person at certain activity
Spanish perro viejo, veterano
  • perro viejoexperienced person at certain activity
  • veteranoexperienced person at certain activity
Swedish gammal räv
  • gammal rävexperienced person at certain activity
Cite this entry
APA

old hand. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/old%20hand

MLA

“old hand.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/old%20hand. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “old hand,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/old%20hand.

Source: old hand on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.