practice
verb
prac·tice
| \ ˈprak-təs
\
\
variants:
or less commonly practise
practiced
also practised;
practicing
also practising
Definition of practice
(Entry 1 of 2)
b
: to do or perform often, customarily, or habitually
practice politeness
c
: to be professionally engaged in
practice medicine
2a
: to perform or work at repeatedly so as to become proficient
practice the act
b
: to train by repeated exercises
practice pupils in penmanship
1
: to do repeated exercises for proficiency
2
: to pursue a profession actively
4
: to do something customarily
5
: to take advantage of someone
he practised on their credulity with huge success — The Times Literary Supplement (London)
practice
noun
variants:
or less commonly practise
Definition of practice (Entry 2 of 2)
1a
: 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
2a
: systematic exercise for proficiency
practice makes perfect
b
: the condition of being proficient through systematic exercise
get in practice
3a
: the continuous exercise of a profession
b
: a professional business
especially
: one constituting an incorporeal property
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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 Web: Verb
The teams agreed to use a running clock in the second half, and the fans continued to praise a group that eight months ago was practicing on a gravel field with no football behind Chico Municipal Airport. — Rusty Simmons, SFChronicle.com, "‘Paradise football, like always’: Healing for a town, its team and its heroes," 24 Aug. 2019 Attending the event was a special treat for Thompson for practicing good behavior, her father told KMOV. — Georgia Slater, PEOPLE.com, "8-Year-Old St. Louis Girl Shot Dead Near High School Football Event," 24 Aug. 2019 Taylor said that at least 20 states, including California and New York, do not require bar membership to be a practicing attorney. — Jc Reindl, Detroit Free Press, "Lawyer sues Michigan State Bar, claims mandatory dues unconstitutional," 24 Aug. 2019 My school wasn’t the only place this project was practiced. — Liv Mcconnell, Teen Vogue, "What Spiritual Adoption of a Fetus in High School Really Taught Me," 23 Aug. 2019 Participants learn skills that can help practice self-care, set boundaries and learn strategies to communicate with loved ones struggling with an addiction. — courant.com, "Community News For The Hebron Edition," 23 Aug. 2019 The clinic will also provide free continuing legal education for practicing attorneys on veteran-specific legal issues. — USA TODAY, "‘Stranger’ tourists, Phish and the plague, kinkajou attack: News from around our 50 states," 22 Aug. 2019 Does the government already practice all kinds of censorship where the left is concerned? — Jacob Bacharach, The New Republic, "Who Gets to Speak Freely?," 21 Aug. 2019 Van Ryswyk was charged with practicing medicine without a license resulting in bodily injury, a second-degree felony. — Fox News, "Florida man arrested after allegedly performing botched castration on man," 21 Aug. 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Kalil had been out since getting his foot stepped on during a joint practice with the Detroit Lions. — Aaron Wilson, Houston Chronicle, "Texans' Keke Coutee, Matt Kalil trending positively after injuries," 26 Aug. 2019 Smith said Moore, OSU’s leading tackler last season, got more involved during Monday’s practice. — oregonlive.com, "Oregon State linebacker Andrzej Hughes-Murray lost indefinitely due to foot injury, other surprises on the Beavers’ first two-deep of 2019," 26 Aug. 2019 Skip to main content U.S. soccer player Carli Lloyd said last week that several NFL teams had reached out to her following a video of her making a 55-yard field goal went viral during a Philadelphia Eagles-Baltimore Ravens joint practice. — Scott Gleeson, USA TODAY, "U.S. soccer star Carli Lloyd: 'No reason why a woman could not' be NFL kicker," 26 Aug. 2019 Opposing coaches can work to fill each other’s needs during practice. — Albert Breer, SI.com, "How the Colts Are Pushing Forward Without Andrew Luck," 26 Aug. 2019 James Hudson, who took every repetition at starting left tackle during spring practice, was denied immediate eligibility after transferring from Michigan. — Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, "UCLA begins game week preparations early as season officially starts on Thursday," 24 Aug. 2019 Franklin switched to wide receiver during spring practice in 2017 and caught four passes in the A-Day Game. — Mark Inabinett | Minabinett@al.com, al, "John Franklin III aims ‘to make the 53’ in Chicago," 24 Aug. 2019 In May, during an off-season practice, Ward broke his collarbone. — Eric Branch, SFChronicle.com, "49ers hope painful summer isn’t followed by another injury-marred season," 21 Aug. 2019 Burbank High quarterback Aram Araradian throws the ball during practice Monday. — Jeff Tully, Burbank Leader, "Football Preview: Burbank ready to make noise in league, and beyond," 20 Aug. 2019These 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.