like a pro
16
5.5
- idiom
- Informal
:
como un profesional
- After years of practice, he can paint like a pro.
- feel like a pro
- handled it like a pro
- look like a pro
Master the rules like a pro so that you can break them like an artist.
- Master the rules like a pro so that you can break them like an artist.
- Here are the things that you need to master to begin to play jazz like a pro.
- Yeah, well, the first step if you, if you're going to do it like a pro, I'd say this, which is tell me what you do for a living.
- I thought why not do a quick work around and use this right here just to blend it in super super nicely and to look blended like a pro.
- And I, you know, Alfie was trained like a pro and I think that also knocked the stuffing out of him a little bit because it was a job.
- I also picked up this Tarte contour like a pro, the Sculptor Contouring face slenderizer.
Examples
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I wouldn't expect to pick up a musical instrument and play like a pro on my first try.
Blog text (27) -
With any luck, you are now prepared to address yeast infections like a pro.
Blog text (29) -
Master the rules like a pro so that you can break them like an artist.
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Still, my girl's working the room like a pro.
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Well, you came through like a pro.
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You're skating like a pro.
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Using her Brooklyn street smarts, Betsy fights like a pro.
Fiction book (1990) -
If you can write like a pro and are knowledgeable about a non-team sport, start blazing the query trail.
Academic text (2009) -
Raised in Michigan's stormy winters, Greenwood fought the rain-slick roads like a pro.
Fiction book (1996) -
She played the piano like a pro, impressing everyone with her skill.
Synonyms
145
3.4
In a careful, skilled way that shows good work habits
19
3.4
In a skilful way that shows a lot of ability
9
5.3
In a way that shows great skill
6
8.0
In a way that shows great skill, confidence, and keeps trying when things are hard
3
3.8
In a skilled and effective way
Antonyms
How Skilled
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase 'like a pro' is a straightforward simile combining 'like' (showing similarity) + 'a' (article) + 'pro' (professional), so a learner who knows the constituent words can readily infer 'as an expert/professionally'. This follows a very common English pattern ('like a + noun') and has clear cross-linguistic parallels, making it immediately understandable to B1 learners.
Etymology
Like a pro uses like to mean 'in the same way as' and a pro as a short form of 'a professional'. Imagine a skilled worker or athlete doing something perfectly; if you do it like a pro, you do it 'as an expert would do'.