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
Yet, on a landmass around 40% larger than Europe, one man has exerted an outsize influence on the architecture of an entire continent.
—
Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 25 May 2026
Meanwhile, algorithms, global finance, and supply chains exert an ever more powerful—if often invisible—force on all of us.
—Emily Watlington, ARTnews.com, 24 May 2026
In a sign of waning legitimacy, Russia has now switched to a whitelisting model—shutting down almost everything with only a select group of services remaining accessible to exert greater infrastructural control.
—Natasha Lindstaedt, Forbes.com, 24 May 2026
Compounding this challenge is the influence that big donors and establishment voices exert.
—Eyal Press, New Yorker, 23 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for exert
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 25 May 2026
Meanwhile, algorithms, global finance, and supply chains exert an ever more powerful—if often invisible—force on all of us.
—Emily Watlington, ARTnews.com, 24 May 2026
In a sign of waning legitimacy, Russia has now switched to a whitelisting model—shutting down almost everything with only a select group of services remaining accessible to exert greater infrastructural control.
—Natasha Lindstaedt, Forbes.com, 24 May 2026
Compounding this challenge is the influence that big donors and establishment voices exert.
—Eyal Press, New Yorker, 23 May 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 28 May. 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
