as in applying
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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Recent Examples of exerting
If rates rise unexpectedly, those low initial payments can balloon, exerting pressure on household budgets just as the broader economy absorbs the impact.
—
Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 4 Nov. 2025
Ice plains can prompt fast retreat because as the glacier thins, the ice starts to rise up and water pushes underneath into its crevasses, exerting pressure and causing large slabs to break off — in a process called calving.
—Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 3 Nov. 2025
The tastemaker brings to light a particularly poignant anecdote to illustrate the fact that her style decisions in the White House were nothing if not calculated — in many cases exerting a certain degree of soft power.
—Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 29 Oct. 2025
As Moscow extended soft power abroad, the regime grew more concerned about other countries exerting it within Russia.
—Tetiana Kotelnykova, The Atlantic, 22 Oct. 2025
But something will have to give if lawmakers hope to reopen the government in any timely fashion, and that movement will likely be the result of external forces exerting pressure on one party — or both of them — to break the deadlock.
—Mike Lillis, The Hill, 8 Oct. 2025
Rocks have tiny fissures into which water can seep; when the temperature drops, the water expands into ice, exerting pressure and widening the cracks.
—Dhruv Khullar, New Yorker, 24 Sep. 2025
Last week, critics accused the FCC’s Carr of improperly exerting pressure on ABC and local broadcasters to cancel Kimmel — and that his threats were tantamount to a First Amendment violation.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 23 Sep. 2025
Southeast Asia continues to be a highly competitive arena, with competitors such as GoTo and Foodpanda exerting pressure on pricing and market share.
—Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 4 Nov. 2025
Ice plains can prompt fast retreat because as the glacier thins, the ice starts to rise up and water pushes underneath into its crevasses, exerting pressure and causing large slabs to break off — in a process called calving.
—Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 3 Nov. 2025
The tastemaker brings to light a particularly poignant anecdote to illustrate the fact that her style decisions in the White House were nothing if not calculated — in many cases exerting a certain degree of soft power.
—Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 29 Oct. 2025
As Moscow extended soft power abroad, the regime grew more concerned about other countries exerting it within Russia.
—Tetiana Kotelnykova, The Atlantic, 22 Oct. 2025
But something will have to give if lawmakers hope to reopen the government in any timely fashion, and that movement will likely be the result of external forces exerting pressure on one party — or both of them — to break the deadlock.
—Mike Lillis, The Hill, 8 Oct. 2025
Rocks have tiny fissures into which water can seep; when the temperature drops, the water expands into ice, exerting pressure and widening the cracks.
—Dhruv Khullar, New Yorker, 24 Sep. 2025
Last week, critics accused the FCC’s Carr of improperly exerting pressure on ABC and local broadcasters to cancel Kimmel — and that his threats were tantamount to a First Amendment violation.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 23 Sep. 2025
Southeast Asia continues to be a highly competitive arena, with competitors such as GoTo and Foodpanda exerting pressure on pricing and market share.
—Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for exerting
Verb
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Regularly applying sealer to your grout and keeping the area clean is your best chance at preventing mold and mildew growth along your grout.—
Ashlyn Needham,
Southern Living,
10 Jan. 2026
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My hair feels brittle, my skin is dry from the cold weather, and my makeup is not applying right.—
Kaitlin Clapinski,
InStyle,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Privacy and partners Lenovo built Qira using a hybrid AI architecture.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
7 Jan. 2026
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Kansas City officials approved the initial funding for the temporary facility in October, using funds from the public safety sales tax.—
Ben Wheeler,
Kansas City Star,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The final shot of the trailer appears to be the Tin Man wielding an ax, though the blade of his weapon is out of frame.—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 Jan. 2026
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Under Maduro, Cabello has remained a central pillar of the regime, wielding power less through formal titles than through loyalty networks within the armed forces, intelligence services and ruling party.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Most of the vitriol has been aimed at the UAE, with Emiratis largely exercising restraint — and, unlike the Qatar episode, both are avoiding personal attacks on rulers (or their mothers).—
Mohammed Sergie,
semafor.com,
9 Jan. 2026
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The protagonists also have some famous hot takes throughout the book — on everything from music to exercising — which Bader, 29, and Blyth, 30, don’t necessarily agree with.—
Carly Tagen-Dye,
PEOPLE,
8 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Exerting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exerting. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
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