How to Use proficient in a Sentence

proficient

adjective
  • She is proficient in two foreign languages.
  • He has become very proficient at computer programming.
  • The Saints saw him as more proficient as the box safety.
    Armando Salguero, miamiherald, 18 Apr. 2018
  • Who is trained proficient in that weapon and who’s not?
    BostonGlobe.com, 26 May 2021
  • Our confidence and hope is in the proficient work the of police.
    Steve Helling, Peoplemag, 2 Aug. 2022
  • The most proficient hitters are hardly at all cut from the same cloth.
    Zach Schonbrun, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2018
  • In Geneva City schools, 76% of third graders were proficient, but 28% of eighth graders were.
    Trisha Powell Crain | Tcrain@al.com, al, 13 Sep. 2022
  • Along with the mere pass rush, the Dolphins were proficient in jarring the ball loose last season.
    David Furones, sun-sentinel.com, 24 July 2021
  • Less than a quarter of Texas eighth graders were deemed proficient in math.
    Dallas News, 24 Oct. 2022
  • The drops in test scores were roughly four times greater among the students who were the least proficient in both math and reading.
    Ben Chapman, WSJ, 1 Sep. 2022
  • On the other side, Kuni — the most proficient player — could choose to beat on her drum.
    Quanta Magazine, 22 Mar. 2016
  • The product is proficient enough to do the following: ● Burn stored fat.
    Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 15 Dec. 2022
  • There were schools where none of the students tested were proficient in math.
    Armstrong Williams, Baltimore Sun, 14 Feb. 2024
  • The study is still on the hunt for more participants who are proficient in Na’vi.
    Sabrina Torres, Rolling Stone, 19 Dec. 2022
  • Barrett and the offense must get more proficient throwing the ball deep.
    Tim Bielik, cleveland.com, 18 Sep. 2017
  • In 2022, less than a quarter of all students in the state were proficient in reading by fourth grade.
    Iris Samuels, Anchorage Daily News, 7 June 2023
  • Fox is not a proficient 3-point shooter, so asking him to play off the ball isn't ideal.
    Jason Jones, sacbee, 15 June 2018
  • Only 5% of Black eighth graders were proficient in math.
    Dallas News, 24 Oct. 2022
  • Westbrook wants to be, and is proficient at, impacting a game in many ways.
    Elvia Limón, Los Angeles Times, 28 Dec. 2021
  • People in the role only need to have a high school degree and be proficient in English.
    Ambar Castillo, STAT, 24 Mar. 2023
  • What might happen if some of the world's most proficient hackers targeted some of the biggest tech names at the same time?
    Davey Winder, Forbes, 23 Mar. 2023
  • The results showed: 61% of white students were proficient.
    Adrienne Dunn, azcentral, 16 Feb. 2020
  • Darrisaw was a three-year starter at left tackle who is proficient in the run game.
    Omar Kelly, sun-sentinel.com, 24 Apr. 2021
  • The state's largest district scored very poorly in terms of math skills, though, with only 25% of JCPS eighth graders were proficient in math.
    Krista Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 16 Nov. 2022
  • Lainey Green is so proficient at spreading the ball around to three gifted hitters.
    Tony Baranek, Chicago Tribune, 3 Oct. 2022
  • Last year, fewer than half of New York’s third graders were proficient on state reading tests.
    Grace Ashford, New York Times, 3 Jan. 2024
  • Three percent of students were proficient in math at South Choctaw High School.
    Trisha Powell Crain | Tcrain@al.com, al, 16 Nov. 2022
  • The percentage of eighth graders scoring proficient or higher stayed the same.
    Detroit Free Press, 31 Aug. 2023
  • More than 60 percent of Ohio fourth graders were not proficient in reading.
    Rachel Berry, Cincinnati.com, 19 June 2019
  • Just 36 percent of fourth graders were proficient in math, down from 41 percent.
    Ashley Wu, New York Times, 24 Oct. 2022

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

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