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
This danger is even greater than the concerning level of influence China currently exerts over rare earth elements.
—
Bill Huizenga, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Nov. 2025
Advertisement Subramania Bhatt, chief executive officer of market researcher China Trading Desk, tells TIME that China has been able to exert economic pressure on Japan in several different areas, from fisheries to pop culture.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 24 Nov. 2025
Ask Better Questions In business, people exert enormous energy trying to appear interesting, showing up with answers, speaking in bullet points and projecting confidence at all costs.
—Chris Schembra, Rolling Stone, 24 Nov. 2025
One of the reasons the production exerts such power is the foundations laid by the cast, whose performances couldn’t be more tangibly flesh-and-blood in creating this community and its individuals.
—Demetrios Matheou, HollywoodReporter, 22 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for exert
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Bill Huizenga, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Nov. 2025
Advertisement Subramania Bhatt, chief executive officer of market researcher China Trading Desk, tells TIME that China has been able to exert economic pressure on Japan in several different areas, from fisheries to pop culture.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 24 Nov. 2025
Ask Better Questions In business, people exert enormous energy trying to appear interesting, showing up with answers, speaking in bullet points and projecting confidence at all costs.
—Chris Schembra, Rolling Stone, 24 Nov. 2025
One of the reasons the production exerts such power is the foundations laid by the cast, whose performances couldn’t be more tangibly flesh-and-blood in creating this community and its individuals.
—Demetrios Matheou, HollywoodReporter, 22 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for exert
Cite this Entry
“Exert.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/exert. Accessed 26 Nov. 2025.
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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