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
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
Rachel McRady, PEOPLE, 27 Oct. 2025
Mykola, who fled the war in Ukraine in 2024, was a practicing doctor in Kyiv.
—Aditi Sangal, CNN Money, 27 Oct. 2025
Literary Hub, 3 Nov. 2025
These discoveries underscore the enduring historical, geological, and cultural legacy of the cave as a sacred human site where religious practices intersected with domesticity across time.
—Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 2 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for practice
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Verb
Vonn captioned a video of herself practicing lassoing a fake steer.
—Rachel McRady, PEOPLE, 27 Oct. 2025
Mykola, who fled the war in Ukraine in 2024, was a practicing doctor in Kyiv.
—Aditi Sangal, CNN Money, 27 Oct. 2025
Noun
What has been the evolution of that practice?
—Literary Hub, 3 Nov. 2025
These discoveries underscore the enduring historical, geological, and cultural legacy of the cave as a sacred human site where religious practices intersected with domesticity across time.
—Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 2 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for practice
Cite this Entry
“Practice.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/practice. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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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