exerted; exerting; exerts
1
a
: to put forth (strength, effort, etc.)
The force is exerted sideways.
b
: to put (oneself) into action or to tiring effort
won't have to exert himself moving the table
2
: to bring to bear especially with sustained effort or lasting effect
exerted a lot of influence on fellow committee members
Examples of exert in a Sentence
He had to exert all of his strength to move the stone.
He exerts a lot of influence on the other members of the committee.
the force exerted by the machine
Recent Examples on the Web
The pinafore-style dress was in a twee ditsy print and flowed well past her knees, while a leather belt sat happily on her waist without exerting effort to cinch.
—
Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 9 Apr. 2026
The 34 states suing Live Nation and Ticketmaster made one last push to convince the jurors that company — with its dominant position in ticketing, concert promotions, and venues — exerts outsized control compared to its competitors.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 9 Apr. 2026
The looming strike next Tuesday at Los Angeles public schools brings together three unlikely allies that, together, plan to bring the nation’s second-largest school system to a standstill and exert formidable pressure to reach a favorable settlement.
—Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026
Yeo says there could also be rarer genetic variants not captured in the analysis that might exert more influence on weight-loss variations.
—Lori Youmshajekian, Scientific American, 8 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for exert
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Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 9 Apr. 2026
The 34 states suing Live Nation and Ticketmaster made one last push to convince the jurors that company — with its dominant position in ticketing, concert promotions, and venues — exerts outsized control compared to its competitors.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 9 Apr. 2026
The looming strike next Tuesday at Los Angeles public schools brings together three unlikely allies that, together, plan to bring the nation’s second-largest school system to a standstill and exert formidable pressure to reach a favorable settlement.
—Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026
Yeo says there could also be rarer genetic variants not captured in the analysis that might exert more influence on weight-loss variations.
—Lori Youmshajekian, Scientific American, 8 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for exert
Cite this Entry
“Exert.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/exert. Accessed 11 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
exert
verb
ex·ert
ig-ˈzərt 
1
: to put forth (as strength)
the force exerted by a machine
: bring into use or action
exert influence
2
: to put (oneself) into action or to tiring effort
don't exert yourself too much
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