exercise 1 of 2

Definition of exercisenext
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
Wang’s annual January tour now looks less like a diplomatic ritual, and more like an exercise in strategic timing. Yinka Adegoke, semafor.com, 9 Jan. 2026 To keep this exercise out of total-negativity mode, there also are shout-outs for each park for something that brings joy. Dewayne Bevil, The Orlando Sentinel, 9 Jan. 2026
Verb
Pearson, an ex-NYPD inspector and longtime friend to Adams, who empowered him to exercise significant influence over the city’s law enforcement apparatus, has denied wrongdoing. Chris Sommerfeldt, New York Daily News, 9 Jan. 2026 The Chiefs already exercised his fifth-year rookie option for 2026 at $13 million. The Athletic Nfl Staff, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for exercise
Recent Examples of Synonyms for exercise
Noun
  • In addition to the murder charge, Thompson faces charges of committing a terroristic act, aggravated assault, engaging in violent criminal group activity and endangering the welfare of a minor, according to the jail roster.
    Rafael Escalera Montoto, Arkansas Online, 9 Nov. 2025
  • The pageant activities began on Sunday in Bangkok.
    Anabella González, CNN Money, 8 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • His parents recalled playfully hitting him with pool noodles during his progressions, a routine that eventually drew in a growing group of neighborhood kids for daily practices.
    Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 9 Jan. 2026
  • Legal observers often attend police actions to document and monitor law enforcement behavior − a common practice used by activists from the Black Panthers in the 1960s and 1970s to Northern Ireland during The Troubles.
    Bebe Hodges, Cincinnati Enquirer, 8 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • The company also highlighted its shift toward a Robot-as-a-Service model, indicating readiness for global commercial deployment rather than experimental use.
    Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 8 Jan. 2026
  • The creation of this content included the use of AI based on templates created, reviewed and edited by journalists in the newsroom.
    CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 8 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • Independence is exerting its local authority to add some restrictions to development agreements between the city and outside agencies.
    Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 9 Jan. 2026
  • My agonizing over a coin toss illustrates the basic distortion that gambling exerts on spectating.
    Rand Richards Cooper, Hartford Courant, 8 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • This impressive deal only applies to the six-piece set, which includes five compression packing cubes and one drawstring bag in select colors.
    Emily Belfiore, Travel + Leisure, 9 Jan. 2026
  • The two, a male and a female, were hospitalized with gunshot wounds after Portland police officers applied a tourniquet on scene.
    Ross O'Keefe, The Washington Examiner, 9 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • Take a seat on an icy throne—the cold never bothered you anyway.
    Ginger Crichton, Midwest Living, 9 Jan. 2026
  • Don’t bother wasting your money—using it more than once a day won’t yield ‘better’ or faster results.
    Ali Pantony, Glamour, 9 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • In addition to the exertion of shoveling, frigid temperatures can also strain the heart.
    Amy McGorry, FOXNews.com, 15 Dec. 2025
  • As Qatar in high summer is rather inconsistent with any form of physical exertion, the 2022 World Cup had to be shifted to a November-December time frame.
    Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 5 Dec. 2025
Noun
  • While the Leafs pumped Hildeby’s tires leading into this season — and it was deserved after a great training camp — his appearance Saturday marked his first in the NHL this season.
    Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2025
  • Some 65% of the nonprofit’s most server-straining traffic now comes from bots, some of which scrape the site to feed into chatbots for training.
    Harry Booth, Time, 9 Nov. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Exercise.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exercise. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.

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