as in to apply
to bring to bear especially forcefully or effectively parental involvement has consistently been shown to exert the most influence over a child's success in school

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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 exert Directed by the Austrian pair Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala, The Lodge is a slow-burn genre exercise that exerts the pressure of a steel vise. Emma Specter, Vogue, 19 Oct. 2025 The meters use electrical conductivity or tensiometer tubes that measure the suction exerted by the soil on the water, which indicates the soil moisture available to plants. Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 18 Oct. 2025 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 Her choice to stay put forever, choosing death by suicide, is the most extreme — and perhaps the only — way to exert her will. Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for exert
Recent Examples of Synonyms for exert
Verb
  • The chain embellishment was applied to multiple styles, be in the short pump or a taller slingback, and stood out against different colors.
    Jaden Thompson, Footwear News, 22 Oct. 2025
  • Use a mop to apply the bleach solution to the floors, covering a small area at a time and working in a figure-eight or side-to-side pattern.
    Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 22 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Cousin, who is CEO of FSF Ventures, a nonprofit focused on sustainable food business models, believes investments like AI will help spur productivity in land already used for cultivation.
    Nino Paoli, Fortune, 28 Oct. 2025
  • One post on the platform included a screenshot of a season 4 scene where Will uses a conversation about Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) to reveal his true feelings for Mike.
    Angel Saunders, PEOPLE, 28 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • In the modern day, people who have wielded racist tropes against Black people, including the ape comparison, have faced swift social backlash and loss of employment.
    Dan Gooding, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025
  • Since assuming office in late 2023, Milei has wielded a chainsaw approach to government reform in Argentina.
    John Towfighi, CNN Money, 27 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Chen’s Prince Group employs thousands of people and bills itself as one of the biggest conglomerates in Cambodia, with investments in luxury real estate, banking services, hotels, major construction developments, grocery stores and even luxury watches.
    Helen Regan, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2025
  • Set against a backdrop of ivory and sand tones, the elegant furnishings employ elevated silhouettes and textured fabrics, while the cobalt blue chef’s kitchen brings an unexpected vibrancy to the open-living layout.
    Gabriela Ulloa, Architectural Digest, 25 Oct. 2025

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“Exert.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exert. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.

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