variants
or less commonly practise
practiced also practised; practicing also practising
1
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
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)
The Times Literary Supplement (London)
practicer
noun
variants
or less commonly practise
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
Synonyms
Examples of practice in a Sentence
Verb
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.
Noun
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 on the WebKeyaira Boone, Essence, 18 Apr. 2024
Last year, the Bulldogs practiced at the Willie B. Johnson Recreation Center in Dallas.
—Cody Thorn, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Apr. 2024
Peña’s boys first worked as caddies and then, stopped by bigots with Joe Manchin good-old-boy mugs, had to practice golf on their own makeshift course in the local rough mesquite patches.
—Armond White, National Review, 17 Apr. 2024
Playing with Drake Maye in youth 7-on-7 camps to practicing against him in college.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 16 Apr. 2024
The Chiefs had practiced this audible in training camp, then maybe twice a month during the regular season, just in case.
—Jesse Newell, Kansas City Star, 16 Apr. 2024
The Heat took Monday off and will practice at Kaseya Center on Tuesday before flying to Philadelphia for Wednesday’s game.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 15 Apr. 2024
Jamilla Clark and Arwa Aziz, both practicing Muslims, brought the case in 2018 after saying their experiences left them humiliated and in tears.
—Victoria Bisset, Washington Post, 6 Apr. 2024
Friday night dinners at Beth Israel, hosted by Colby Hillel, the Jewish organization on campus, reliably serve 30 to 40 students, a mix of practicing Jews, their non-Jewish friends and others drawn to the cozy routine.
—Jenna Russell Tristan Spinski, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2024
USA TODAY, 20 Apr. 2024
Fans jammed one side of a parking lot overlooking the Bruins’ practice field.
—Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2024
Williams’ hire, and the announcement in which it was made, served as a harkening back to the Pete Carroll days, when former players were frequent practice attendees.
—Luca Evans, Orange County Register, 20 Apr. 2024
Boats carrying migrants landing on California shores is not new, but the practice has increased in recent years in San Diego County, from Imperial Beach and Point Loma in the south to Oceanside in the north.
—Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Apr. 2024
Tina Luongo heads criminal defense practice for the Legal Aid Society, the city's primary source for public defenders.
—Walter Ray Watson, NPR, 19 Apr. 2024
While Charlotte is awaiting the return of multiple defensive players from off-season surgeries, Poggi is impressed by the roster’s response through a tough slate of spring practices and is ready to get the fans back in Richardson Stadium Saturday night.
—Hunter Bailey, Charlotte Observer, 19 Apr. 2024
Leverage city resources to increase the knowledge and use of regenerative agriculture practices.
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 19 Apr. 2024
These practices and more created a shining company culture that became legendary and was positively acknowledged within the commercial retail tire industry.
—Chris Gallagher, USA TODAY, 8 Apr. 2024
Verb
The organizational psychologist practices this in her own professional life.
—Keyaira Boone, Essence, 18 Apr. 2024
Last year, the Bulldogs practiced at the Willie B. Johnson Recreation Center in Dallas.
—Cody Thorn, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Apr. 2024
Peña’s boys first worked as caddies and then, stopped by bigots with Joe Manchin good-old-boy mugs, had to practice golf on their own makeshift course in the local rough mesquite patches.
—Armond White, National Review, 17 Apr. 2024
Playing with Drake Maye in youth 7-on-7 camps to practicing against him in college.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 16 Apr. 2024
The Chiefs had practiced this audible in training camp, then maybe twice a month during the regular season, just in case.
—Jesse Newell, Kansas City Star, 16 Apr. 2024
The Heat took Monday off and will practice at Kaseya Center on Tuesday before flying to Philadelphia for Wednesday’s game.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 15 Apr. 2024
Jamilla Clark and Arwa Aziz, both practicing Muslims, brought the case in 2018 after saying their experiences left them humiliated and in tears.
—Victoria Bisset, Washington Post, 6 Apr. 2024
Friday night dinners at Beth Israel, hosted by Colby Hillel, the Jewish organization on campus, reliably serve 30 to 40 students, a mix of practicing Jews, their non-Jewish friends and others drawn to the cozy routine.
—Jenna Russell Tristan Spinski, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2024
Noun
The common practice can be deemed as an addiction that has captured many Americans.
—USA TODAY, 20 Apr. 2024
Fans jammed one side of a parking lot overlooking the Bruins’ practice field.
—Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2024
Williams’ hire, and the announcement in which it was made, served as a harkening back to the Pete Carroll days, when former players were frequent practice attendees.
—Luca Evans, Orange County Register, 20 Apr. 2024
Boats carrying migrants landing on California shores is not new, but the practice has increased in recent years in San Diego County, from Imperial Beach and Point Loma in the south to Oceanside in the north.
—Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Apr. 2024
Tina Luongo heads criminal defense practice for the Legal Aid Society, the city's primary source for public defenders.
—Walter Ray Watson, NPR, 19 Apr. 2024
While Charlotte is awaiting the return of multiple defensive players from off-season surgeries, Poggi is impressed by the roster’s response through a tough slate of spring practices and is ready to get the fans back in Richardson Stadium Saturday night.
—Hunter Bailey, Charlotte Observer, 19 Apr. 2024
Leverage city resources to increase the knowledge and use of regenerative agriculture practices.
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 19 Apr. 2024
These practices and more created a shining company culture that became legendary and was positively acknowledged within the commercial retail tire industry.
—Chris Gallagher, USA TODAY, 8 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'practice.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near practice
Cite this Entry
“Practice.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/practice. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
practice
1 of 2 verb
prac·tice
variants
also practise
practiced or practised; practicing or practising
1
: to perform or work at over and over so as to become skilled
practice juggling
3
: to do or perform often or usually
practice politeness
4
: to engage in or work at as a profession
practice medicine
practicer
noun
practice
2 of 2 noun
variants
also practise
1
a
: actual performance or application
b
: a repeated or usual action
it was our practice to rise early
c
: the usual way of doing something
local practice
2
a
: action done over and over in order to acquire skill
practice makes perfect
b
: the condition of being skilled through practice
get in practice
3
a
: continuous work in a profession
the practice of law
b
: a professional business
the doctor has expanded her practice
Medical Definition
practice
1 of 2 verb
prac·tice
variants
or practise
practiced or practised; practicing or practising
: to be professionally engaged in
practice medicine
: to pursue a profession actively
practice
2 of 2 noun
variants
also practise
1
: the continuous exercise of a profession
2
: a professional business
especially
: one constituting an incorporeal property
the doctor sold his practice and retired
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