ex·er·cise
ˈek-sər-ˌsīz 
1
a
: the act of bringing into play or realizing in action : use
the exercise of self-control
b
: the discharge of an official function or professional occupation
exercise of his judicial duties
c
: the act or an instance of carrying out the terms of an agreement (such as an option)
—often used attributively
an option's exercise price
2
a
: regular or repeated use of a faculty or bodily organ
b
: bodily exertion for the sake of developing and maintaining physical fitness
trying to get more exercise
3
: something performed or practiced in order to develop, improve, or display a specific capability or skill
arithmetic exercises
vocal exercises
4
: a performance or activity having a strongly marked secondary or ulterior aspect
party politics has always been an exercise in compromise—
H. S. Ashmore
H. S. Ashmore5
a
: a maneuver, operation, or drill carried out for training and discipline
naval exercises
b
exercises plural
: a program including speeches, announcements of awards and honors, and various traditional practices of secular or religious character
commencement exercises
exercised; exercising
1
2
a
: to use repeatedly in order to strengthen or develop
exercise a muscle
b
: to train by drills and maneuvers
exercise troops
c
: to put through exercises
exercise the horses
3
a
: to engage the attention and effort of
b
: to cause anxiety, alarm, or indignation in
the issues exercising voters this year
: to take exercise
Synonyms
Examples of exercise in a Sentence
Noun
Get plenty of fresh air and exercise.
Swimming is my favorite kind of exercise.
She did stretching exercises before her daily run.
Do the writing exercise at the end of each chapter.
The negotiations have gotten nowhere, and I see no reason to continue with this pointless exercise.
Verb
It's important to exercise every day.
He eats right and exercises regularly.
Bicycle riding exercises the leg muscles.
The stable boys exercise the horses every morning.
He didn't exercise good judgment.
We just need to exercise common sense.
She has been reluctant to exercise her authority.
Exercise caution when using these chemicals.
Recent Examples on the WebChrista Sgobba, SELF, 25 Apr. 2024
Perform each exercise for 40 seconds, with dumbbells.
—Angela Haupt, TIME, 24 Apr. 2024
Paying attention to lifestyle factors, like getting adequate exercise and eating well, can improve your outcomes on the medication.
—Claire Bugos, Verywell Health, 24 Apr. 2024
Indeed, members of the U.S. Congress have cheered the ICC’s exercise of jurisdiction over Russia for crimes committed during the war in Ukraine and passed a law allowing the United States to share evidence of Russian war crimes in Ukraine with its prosecutor.
—Oona A. Hathaway, Foreign Affairs, 23 Apr. 2024
Healthy weight management and getting regular exercise have proven to maximize insulin sensitivity and keep blood sugar levels in a normal range.
—Daryl Austin, USA TODAY, 22 Apr. 2024
The 1440p Aztec Ruins and 1080p Car Chase tests are rendered offscreen to accommodate different display resolutions as well as exercise graphics and compute shaders using the OpenGL programming interface and hardware tessellation, respectively.
—Eric Grevstad, PCMAG, 20 Apr. 2024
While strengthening exercises like kegels can be helpful, McGurk says manual treatment conducted by a pelvic floor PT is necessary to restore muscle tone, function, and symmetry first.
—Fiorella Valdesolo, Vogue, 19 Apr. 2024
These Nike slides are great for the locker room, travel between games, and anywhere else your exercise might take you.
—Olivia Avitt, Peoplemag, 12 Apr. 2024
Françoise Mouly, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024
The Crossword Book Buy on Amazon This book is packed with over 350 options for dads who want to exercise their brains or who enjoy the challenge of a crossword puzzle.
—Lauren Finney Harden, Southern Living, 15 Apr. 2024
Tamar has her master's degree in nutrition and exercise physiology from Teachers College, Columbia University.
—Erika Prouty, Verywell Health, 11 Apr. 2024
The Rams declined to exercise his fifth-year option and, after offseason workouts in 2017, traded him to the Lions.
—Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2024
Rights may be exercised at any time during the subscription period.
—Charlotte Observer, 8 Apr. 2024
These border missions have been exercised by both red and blue commanders in chief.
—Henry Gass, The Christian Science Monitor, 5 Apr. 2024
How Mary and George exercised their influence Appointed to the position of royal cup-bearer in 1614, George served the king drinks and monitored his cup to safeguard against any poisoning attempts.
—Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Apr. 2024
These workouts involve exercising at a high intensity for short durations, like an all-out sprint or cycle for 30 seconds to a minute, followed by a period of low intensity activity.
—Jason Sawyer, Discover Magazine, 5 Apr. 2024
Noun
So what’s the best way to add pulling exercises to your workout program?
—Christa Sgobba, SELF, 25 Apr. 2024
Perform each exercise for 40 seconds, with dumbbells.
—Angela Haupt, TIME, 24 Apr. 2024
Paying attention to lifestyle factors, like getting adequate exercise and eating well, can improve your outcomes on the medication.
—Claire Bugos, Verywell Health, 24 Apr. 2024
Indeed, members of the U.S. Congress have cheered the ICC’s exercise of jurisdiction over Russia for crimes committed during the war in Ukraine and passed a law allowing the United States to share evidence of Russian war crimes in Ukraine with its prosecutor.
—Oona A. Hathaway, Foreign Affairs, 23 Apr. 2024
Healthy weight management and getting regular exercise have proven to maximize insulin sensitivity and keep blood sugar levels in a normal range.
—Daryl Austin, USA TODAY, 22 Apr. 2024
The 1440p Aztec Ruins and 1080p Car Chase tests are rendered offscreen to accommodate different display resolutions as well as exercise graphics and compute shaders using the OpenGL programming interface and hardware tessellation, respectively.
—Eric Grevstad, PCMAG, 20 Apr. 2024
While strengthening exercises like kegels can be helpful, McGurk says manual treatment conducted by a pelvic floor PT is necessary to restore muscle tone, function, and symmetry first.
—Fiorella Valdesolo, Vogue, 19 Apr. 2024
These Nike slides are great for the locker room, travel between games, and anywhere else your exercise might take you.
—Olivia Avitt, Peoplemag, 12 Apr. 2024
Verb
For the cover of the April 22 & 29, 2024, Innovation & Tech Issue, Ana Juan depicts a cat exercising its hunting instinct on a digital tablet, ignoring the real-life mice right behind it—a scene that both illustrates and allegorizes the pernicious appeal of today’s digital pastimes.
—Françoise Mouly, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024
The Crossword Book Buy on Amazon This book is packed with over 350 options for dads who want to exercise their brains or who enjoy the challenge of a crossword puzzle.
—Lauren Finney Harden, Southern Living, 15 Apr. 2024
Tamar has her master's degree in nutrition and exercise physiology from Teachers College, Columbia University.
—Erika Prouty, Verywell Health, 11 Apr. 2024
The Rams declined to exercise his fifth-year option and, after offseason workouts in 2017, traded him to the Lions.
—Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2024
Rights may be exercised at any time during the subscription period.
—Charlotte Observer, 8 Apr. 2024
These border missions have been exercised by both red and blue commanders in chief.
—Henry Gass, The Christian Science Monitor, 5 Apr. 2024
How Mary and George exercised their influence Appointed to the position of royal cup-bearer in 1614, George served the king drinks and monitored his cup to safeguard against any poisoning attempts.
—Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Apr. 2024
These workouts involve exercising at a high intensity for short durations, like an all-out sprint or cycle for 30 seconds to a minute, followed by a period of low intensity activity.
—Jason Sawyer, Discover Magazine, 5 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'exercise.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Articles Related to exercise
Dictionary Entries Near exercise
Cite this Entry
“Exercise.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/exercise. Accessed 29 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
exercise
1 of 2 noun
ex·er·cise
ˈek-sər-ˌsīz
1
: the act of putting into use, action, or practice
the exercise of power
2
: bodily activity for the sake of physical fitness
get plenty of fresh air and exercise
3
: something done to develop skill
arithmetic exercises
finger exercises
4
plural
: a program of songs, speeches, and announcements of awards and honors
graduation exercises
exercise
2 of 2 verb
exercised; exercising
1
: to put into use : exert
exercise patience
exercise authority
2
a
: to use again and again in order to strengthen or develop
exercise a muscle
b
: to put through exercises : give exercise to
exercise the dog
3
: to worry, alarm, or annoy about something
the people were exercised about pollution
4
: to take exercise
exercises every day
exerciser
noun
Medical Definition
exercise
1 of 2 noun
ex·er·cise
ˈek-sər-ˌsīz
1
: regular or repeated use of a faculty or bodily organ
2
: bodily exertion for the sake of developing and maintaining physical fitness
exercise
2 of 2 verb
exercised; exercising
1
: to use repeatedly in order to strengthen or develop (as a muscle)
2
: to put through exercises
: to take exercise
Legal Definition
exercise
1 of 2 noun
ex·er·cise
ˈek-sər-ˌsīz
1
: the discharge of an official function or professional occupation
2
: the act or an instance of carrying out the terms of an agreement (as an option)
exercise
2 of 2 transitive verb
exercised; exercising
1
: to make effective in action
exercising power
2
: to bring to bear
exercise influence
3
: to implement the terms of (as an option)
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share