exercise 1 of 2

1
2
as in practice
something done over and over in order to develop skill a young piano student dutifully going through the standard finger exercises

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3
as in use
the act or practice of employing something for a particular purpose the observation that the best exercise for losing weight is the exercise of one's ability to say no to food

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

exercise

2 of 2

verb

1
as in to exert
to bring to bear especially forcefully or effectively a senator who consistently exercises his clout in Congress to get pork barrel projects for his state

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2
as in to practice
to do over and over so as to become skilled the only way to exercise your writing skills is to do more writing

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3
as in to use
to put into action or service commended the firefighters for exercising really good judgment in that emergency

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

4

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of exercise
Noun
Take it from a professor and former investment banker — the creation of this plan was not an academic exercise in corporate governance. Shane Goodwin, Fortune, 14 Oct. 2025 Plans, in the realm of submarine cables, are purely contingent exercises. Samanth Subramanian, The Dial, 14 Oct. 2025
Verb
Such caveats underscore the weakness of compliance monitoring snapshots in capturing the complex pressures and administrative barriers constraining workers’ ability to exercise their rights on a day-to-day basis. Sourcing Journal, 15 Oct. 2025 Under the terms of their divorce, Bezos still exercises voting authority over her holdings and is required to disclose them annually. Jessica Coacci, Fortune, 15 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for exercise
Recent Examples of Synonyms for exercise
Noun
  • He has not been seen in public since March, but the investigation of his activities had not previously been disclosed by Chinese authorities.
    CNN Money, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2025
  • Algorithmic programs developed to monitor such activity took these moves as signs of further downside risk, further amplifying what already was a dramatic and widespread downturn.
    Sean Stein Smith, Forbes.com, 18 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Discussions have been held about dividing Madrid’s football operations from their business operations and letting speculators invest in the latter — although how (or if) that would work in practice is a moot point.
    Phil Hay, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
  • In recent years, safety concerns have been raised at the plant, which faced federal fines several years ago related to workplace safety practices, according to federal records.
    Isabel Rosales, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The region has seen the deployment of the National Guard and Marines, the cancellation of public events and a visible chilling effect on the use of local businesses and services.
    Deputy News Editor, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Oct. 2025
  • Their uses include promising methods for cleaning up toxic pollution.
    JSTOR Daily, JSTOR Daily, 15 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Consensus on why and how things happened, of course, can be used to exert terrible will, and so perhaps there might be some potential good to be had in all this chaos.
    Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2025
  • Beneath the surface of this agrarian life, traditional gender roles exert a powerful force.
    Aishwarya S. Iyer, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • This philosophy applies to business owners seeking to develop managers and leaders within their organizations.
    Joe Boylan, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
  • Their work could be a critical step toward the safe and rational decommissioning of the Fukushima Daiichi plant, and the technology could be applied to nuclear accident sites elsewhere in the world.
    Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 15 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Such hard coaching would bother some players.
    Jay King, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
  • Continue reading … HIT THE ROAD – Duffy responds to trucker who 'couldn't be bothered' to learn English in America.
    , FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • But the exertion only took him to 40-30.
    James Hansen, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2025
  • Prolonged and heavy exertion should also be reduced, the agency says.
    Joe Edwards, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The Marine Corps said live-fire training was conducted at Camp Pendleton year-round to maintain combat readiness and precision.
    Susannah Cullinane, CNN Money, 20 Oct. 2025
  • Movement organizers have emphasized nonviolent action and conducted safety training to promote de-escalation techniques.
    Adeola Adeosun, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Exercise.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exercise. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.

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