practice

verb prac·tice \ ˈprak-təs \

variants: or less commonly practise

Updated on: 1 Dec 2017

Definition of practice

practiced also practised; practicing also practising

transitive verb

1 a : carry out, apply

practice what you preach

b : to do or perform often, customarily, or habitually

practice politeness

c : to be professionally engaged in

practice medicine

2 a : to perform or work at repeatedly so as to become proficient

practice the act

b : to train by repeated exercises

practice pupils in penmanship

3 obsolete : plot

intransitive verb

1 : to do repeated exercises for proficiency

2 : to pursue a profession actively

3 archaic : intrigue

4 : to do something customarily

5 : to take advantage of someone

he practised on their credulity with huge success
—The Times Literary Supplement (London)

—

practicer

noun

See practice defined for English-language learners

See practice defined for kids

Examples of practice in a Sentence

To be a good musician, you have to practice a lot.
Have you been practicing your lines for the play?
She had to practice flying in various weather conditions before she could get her pilot's license.
Grandmother taught us to practice good manners.
Practice what you preach—don't smoke if you tell your children not to smoke.

Recent Examples of practice from the Web

The lieutenant who has practiced law for five years said he was bound not to do so unless there was a defense attorney with experience in the practice of death-penalty cases in court.

— carol rosenberg, miamiherald, "Rebel civilian lawyers defy Guantanamo judge's order | Miami Herald," 3 Nov. 2017
That was the case on Earth, where, for 2 billion years, microbes practiced a form of photosynthesis that did not produce oxygen or many other gases.

— daniel clery, Science | AAAS, "Earth-sized alien worlds are out there. Now, astronomers are figuring out how to detect life on them," 1 Nov. 2017
Shamanism, and varieties of mediumship, were deeply established in Tohoku, and many of the bereaved were turning to those who practiced them.

— aaron gilbreath, Longreads, "The Ghosts of the Tsunami," 25 Oct. 2017
Don't forget - research the company and practice your answers with a friend.

— phil blair, sandiegouniontribune.com, "It's time for seasonal hiring," 23 Oct. 2017
Here are a few easy-to-follow guidelines for the two most important, but least practiced, of all tree-maintenance tasks: pruning and fertilizing.

— roy berendsohn, Popular Mechanics, "How to Prune and Fertilize Your Trees," 20 Oct. 2017
The horse, whose name is also Dave, turned out to be unrideable; eventually, O’Brien and his wife decided to donate him to a facility where students practice massage on him.

— laura bradley, vanityfair.com, "David Letterman Rips Jimmy Fallon (Again) During His Kimmel Appearance," 18 Oct. 2017
The criticism for Kushner and Ivanka, both practicing modern orthodox Jews with three Jewish children, was swift.

— emily jane fox, The Hive, "Did Jared and Ivanka Find Their White House Out?," 4 Oct. 2017
Those teams practiced twice during the week, with tournaments dominating the weekends.

— dave melton, Post-Tribune, "Year-round work pays for Virginia Tech recruit Peyton Yelich of Crown Point," 2 Oct. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'practice.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of practice

Middle English practisen, from Middle French practiser, from Medieval Latin practizare, alteration of practicare, from practica practice, noun, from Late Latin practice, from Greek praktikē, from feminine of praktikos

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

practice Synonyms

Synonyms

exercise, rehearse, run over

Related Words

groove, perfect, refine; point (for), prepare (for), train (with); drill, repeat; work (at or on); review, study

practice

noun

variants: or less commonly practise

Definition of practice

1 a : actual performance or application

ready to carry out in practice what they advocated in principle

b : a repeated or customary action

had this irritating practice

c : the usual way of doing something

local practices

d : the form, manner, and order of conducting legal suits and prosecutions

2 a : systematic exercise for proficiency

practice makes perfect

b : the condition of being proficient through systematic exercise

get in practice

3 a : the continuous exercise of a profession

b : a professional business; especially : one constituting an incorporeal property

See practice defined for English-language learners

Examples of practice in a Sentence

Being a good musician takes a lot of practice.
I'm sure you'll learn your lines for the play with enough practice.
They'll get better with practice.
I'm late for trumpet practice.
The marching band has practice every Wednesday afternoon.
The team's practices usually last two hours.
She has made a practice of volunteering at a homeless shelter one weekend a month.
The country's poor sanitation practices have led to widespread disease.
Burial practices vary around the world.
It is common practice among my friends to not use capital letters in e-mail.

Recent Examples of practice from the Web

Now carry it and play your tail off in practice and the games.

— safid deen, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Jimbo Fisher: FSU will most likely reschedule Louisiana Monroe game," 5 Nov. 2017
Bullock missed practice altogether on Wednesday, kicked on a limited basis on Thursday and did not kick Friday, per head coach Marvin Lewis.

— jim owczarski, Cincinnati.com, "Cincinnati Bengals sign free agent kicker Marshall Koehn," 4 Nov. 2017
Chisholm was doubtful for the game after missing practice all week with an ankle sprain suffered last week against Dixie Heights.

— james weber, The Courier-Journal, "Butler rallies to beat Ryle in Class 6A," 3 Nov. 2017
Two key Chiefs missed practice Wednesday, as outside linebacker Dee Ford (back) and receiver Albert Wilson (knee) sat out due to their respective injuries.

— terez a. paylor, kansascity, "Chiefs’ Dee Ford, Albert Wilson miss practice Wednesday | The Kansas City Star," 1 Nov. 2017
In turn, a myriad of bad practices in the industry persist and are allowed to flourish, all to the detriment of aspiring and working models alike.

— sara ziff, Cosmopolitan, "Sexual Abuse is Rampant in Fashion. Here’s How I’m Trying to Stop It.," 1 Nov. 2017
Of course, the real solution was already gaining in practice by that time.

— lesley bannatyne, Smithsonian, "When Halloween Was All Tricks and No Treats," 27 Oct. 2017
Even very common beauty practices like dyeing one's hair were supposed to be kept a secret.

— marci robin, Good Housekeeping, "Debra Messing Has Gotten Fat Frozen Off and She's Not Ashamed to Admit It," 27 Oct. 2017
In practice, that can often mean adopting some of the techniques of The Daily Show, where the host will play a clip, then mock the subject—or show another clip that lays bare a glaring hypocrisy.

— jack holmes, Esquire, "Cable News Hosts Are Roasting Bill O'Reilly Like They're Jon Stewart," 25 Oct. 2017

First Known Use of practice

15th century

practice Synonyms

Synonyms

dry run, rehearsal (also practise), trial

Related Words

dress rehearsal; preview; run-through, walk-through; drill, exercise

Synonym Discussion of practice

habit, practice, usage, custom, wont mean a way of acting fixed through repetition. habit implies a doing unconsciously and often compulsively.

- had a habit of tapping his fingers

practice suggests an act or method followed with regularity and usually through choice.

- our practice is to honor all major credit cards

usage suggests a customary action so generally followed that it has become a social norm.

- western-style dress is now common usage in international business

custom applies to a practice or usage so steadily associated with an individual or group as to have almost the force of unwritten law.

- the custom of wearing black at funerals

wont usually applies to a habitual manner, method, or practice of an individual or group.

- as was her wont, she slept until noon

PRACTICE Defined for English Language Learners

practice

verb

Definition of practice for English Language Learners

: to do something again and again in order to become better at it
: to do (something) regularly or constantly as an ordinary part of your life
: to live according to the customs and teachings of (a religion)

practice

noun

Definition of practice for English Language Learners

: the activity of doing something again and again in order to become better at it
: a regular occasion at which you practice something
: something that is done often or regularly

PRACTICE Defined for Kids

practice

verb prac·tice \ ˈprak-təs \

Definition of practice for Students

practiced; practicing

1 : to do or work at often so as to learn well or improve

Practice the piano daily.

2 : to do or perform often or usually

Try to practice good manners.

3 : to engage in or work at as a profession

practice medicine

practice

noun

Definition of practice for Students

1 : the act of doing something again and again in order to learn or improve

Ballet takes a lot of practice.

2 : a regular event at which something is done again and again to increase skill

soccer practice

3 : actual performance : use

I put his advice into practice.

4 : a usual way of doing something

It's our practice to rise early.

5 : continuous work in a profession

the practice of law

Medical Dictionary

practice

verb prac·tice

variants: or practise play \ˈprak-təs\

medical Definition of practice

practiced or practised; practicing or practising

transitive verb

: to be professionally engaged in

practice medicine

intransitive verb

: to pursue a profession actively

practice

noun

variants: also practise

medical Definition of practice

1 : the continuous exercise of a profession

2 : a professional business; especially : one constituting an incorporeal property

the doctor sold his practice and retired

Law Dictionary

practice

noun prac·tice

legal Definition of practice

1 : the form and manner of conducting judicial and quasi-judicial proceedings

2 a : the continuous exercise of a profession; also : the performance of services that are considered to require an appropriate license

engaged in the unauthorized practice of law

b : a professional business

Learn More about practice

See words that rhyme with practice Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for practice Spanish Central: Translation of practice Nglish: Translation of practice for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of practice for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about practice

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practice

Definition of practice

practicer

From the M-W Editors

Examples of practice in a Sentence

Recent Examples of practice from the Web

Origin and Etymology of practice

practice Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

practice

Definition of practice

Examples of practice in a Sentence

Recent Examples of practice from the Web

First Known Use of practice

practice Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Synonym Discussion of practice

PRACTICE Defined for English Language Learners

practice

Definition of practice for English Language Learners

practice

Definition of practice for English Language Learners

PRACTICE Defined for Kids

practice

Definition of practice for Students

practice

Definition of practice for Students

Medical Dictionary

practice

medical Definition of practice

practice

medical Definition of practice

Law Dictionary

practice

legal Definition of practice

Learn More about practice

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