postdoc

1 of 2

noun

post·​doc ˈpōs(t)-ˌdäk How to pronounce postdoc (audio)
: one engaged in postdoctoral study or research

postdoc

2 of 2

adjective

: postdoctoral

Examples of postdoc in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
National Science Foundation data show that nearly 60% of postdocs in science, engineering, and health are temporary visa holders; most of these researchers would be on J-1 visas. — Jonathan Wosen, STAT, 8 Oct. 2026 Her former postdoc, Roman Palitsky, told me that Britton suffered for pointing out the problems with the bridge. — Olga Khazan, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2026
Adjective
Shunlin Lu, a postdoc researcher at Fudan University and CTO of NeoteAI, says the results are clear evidence that access to large-scale and diverse tactile data leads to significant performance gains. — IEEE Spectrum, 10 Sep. 2026 The long-term implications of these barriers could be grim, especially because more than half of the country’s postdoc scholars in science, technology, engineering and math, and around a third of the country’s graduate students, are visa holders. — Nara Parameswaran, The Conversation, 30 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for postdoc

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1964, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1942, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of postdoc was in 1942

Rhymes for postdoc

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Browse Nearby Words

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postdoc
postdoctoral
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Cite this Entry

“Postdoc.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/postdoc. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

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