family doctor

Meaning

1. 1nouncountable

   A doctor who treats people of all ages in a local community and is usually the first person you see for medical problems.

   Grammar: Countable: 'a family doctor', 'family doctors'. Often used with 'see' or 'go to'.

   Patterns

   • see a family doctor
   • go to the family doctor
   • someone's family doctor

   I made an appointment to see my family doctor about a persistent cough.

   The family doctor referred her to a specialist at the hospital.

   In many towns, the family doctor knows several generations of the same family.

Word forms

Common combinations

see a family doctor

You should see a family doctor if the pain continues.

go to the family doctor

She went to the family doctor for a check-up.

someone's family doctor

His family doctor has known him since he was a baby.

family doctor appointment

I have a family doctor appointment on Friday.

Synonyms and how they differ

GP

Common in British English; it stands for 'general practitioner' and is used more in everyday speech than 'family doctor'.

primary care physician

A more formal American term for a doctor who provides general, first-contact care.

general practitioner

The full, more formal form of 'GP'; it emphasizes general rather than specialist practice.

Opposites

Word family

doctor noun

A person trained to treat sick people.

doctor's office noun

The place where a doctor sees patients.

Commonly confused: family doctor or docotr? family doctor or family medicine?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “family doctor”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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