therapist

noun

ther·​a·​pist ˈther-ə-pist How to pronounce therapist (audio)
1
: an individual specializing in the therapeutic medical treatment of impairment, injury, disease, or disorder
especially : a health-care professional trained in methods of treatment and rehabilitation other than the use of drugs or surgery
These simple range-of-motion exercises are often prescribed by physical, occupational, or hand therapists for people with hand OA [=osteoarthritis]. Food & Fitness Advisor
To help the baby interact with his family, a speech therapist taught everyone—including Justin's twin brother, Jeffery—hand signals and games. Michele Blecher
2
: a practitioner of psychotherapy : a psychotherapist
Again, it is important for the therapist to recognize that regression is normative due to the extreme stress of separation and divorce.Nathan W. Turner

Examples of therapist in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The King’s Speech told the true story of King George VI (Colin Firth) who overcame his severe stutter with the help of Australian speech therapist Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush). Zoe G Phillips, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Mar. 2024 According to family therapist Ian Kerner, this increase in married couples in the U.S. could potentially have a few different causes. Charlotte Phillipp, Peoplemag, 17 Mar. 2024 Transgender kids would benefit from connecting with a specialized therapist. Lauren Rowello, Parents, 15 Mar. 2024 An aspiring therapist, Cox toured the City of Denton Jail with her criminal justice class on July 15, 1997. Claire Lempert, ABC News, 15 Mar. 2024 While lawyers and journalists must be clinical in their work, which can sometimes appear to be terse and uncaring bedside manner, therapists and mental health professionals can fill a gap, making sure that people feel cared for on an emotional level. Ariella Steinhorn, Fortune, 13 Mar. 2024 His therapist had initially advised him not to, for the sake of his mental health. Becky Sullivan, NPR, 8 Mar. 2024 The disruption caused her therapist to cancel weekly sessions until an exterminator certified the insects were gone, Zbiegniewicz said. Jake Pearson, ProPublica, 7 Mar. 2024 Rebecca Hendrix is a New York therapist who left the city during the pandemic to live for a month at a time in a number of locations. Jaime Stathis, Washington Post, 4 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'therapist.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1880, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of therapist was in 1880

Dictionary Entries Near therapist

Cite this Entry

“Therapist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/therapist. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

therapist

noun
ther·​a·​pist ˈther-ə-pəst How to pronounce therapist (audio)
: a person who specializes in therapy
especially : a person trained in methods of treatment other than the use of drugs or surgery
a speech therapist

Medical Definition

therapist

noun
ther·​a·​pist ˈther-ə-pəst How to pronounce therapist (audio)
: a person specializing in therapy
especially : one trained in methods of treatment and rehabilitation other than the use of drugs or surgery

More from Merriam-Webster on therapist

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