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
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claims that the leader is lucid and exerting total control over the country that his office commands.
—
Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 1 May 2026
For years the owner, now 66, has watched tape, done his own player evaluations and sent observations and suggestions to DeCosta, mostly about players who might be available in later rounds — without exerting any actual decision-making power.
—Michael Silver, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2026
By exerting more control, America becomes more like China in the very race to beat it.
—Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 27 Apr. 2026
The researchers found that months after returning to Earth from space, astronauts had trouble exerting the correct amount of force to properly grip an object.
—Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 20 Apr. 2026
Completing an easy, accomplishable responsibility lets workers still feel productive without exerting too much mental effort.
—Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 11 Apr. 2026
The pinafore-style dress was in a twee ditsy print and flowed well past her knees, while a leather belt sat happily on her waist without exerting effort to cinch.
—Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 9 Apr. 2026
Common traits like height or blood pressure are influenced by variations at thousands of locations in the genome, each exerting a tiny effect.
—Megan Molteni, STAT, 7 Apr. 2026
Though both are from different sets of parents, the estranged brothers keep being brought in and out of each other’s lives due to death and other circumstances, with Ruben exerting a disturbing hold on Niall.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 7 Apr. 2026
Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 1 May 2026
For years the owner, now 66, has watched tape, done his own player evaluations and sent observations and suggestions to DeCosta, mostly about players who might be available in later rounds — without exerting any actual decision-making power.
—Michael Silver, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2026
By exerting more control, America becomes more like China in the very race to beat it.
—Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 27 Apr. 2026
The researchers found that months after returning to Earth from space, astronauts had trouble exerting the correct amount of force to properly grip an object.
—Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 20 Apr. 2026
Completing an easy, accomplishable responsibility lets workers still feel productive without exerting too much mental effort.
—Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 11 Apr. 2026
The pinafore-style dress was in a twee ditsy print and flowed well past her knees, while a leather belt sat happily on her waist without exerting effort to cinch.
—Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 9 Apr. 2026
Common traits like height or blood pressure are influenced by variations at thousands of locations in the genome, each exerting a tiny effect.
—Megan Molteni, STAT, 7 Apr. 2026
Though both are from different sets of parents, the estranged brothers keep being brought in and out of each other’s lives due to death and other circumstances, with Ruben exerting a disturbing hold on Niall.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 7 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for exerting
Verb
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In closing, it should be mentioned that just as colchicine treatment results in seedless watermelons, mini-melons may also be a consequence of applying colchicine to watermelon seedlings, followed by a breeding process similar to that described above.—
Joshua Siskin,
Oc Register,
7 May 2026
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As an additional step, Holm likes to quickly cleanse her eye area to get rid of any leftover mascara or liner before applying fresh makeup.—
Kara Nesvig,
Allure,
7 May 2026
Verb
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Install it too low, and your knees will be in your face when using the commode.—
Tim Carter,
Hartford Courant,
9 May 2026
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But in 2003, it was considered too degraded to be capable of producing a match using methods available at the time.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
8 May 2026
Verb
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Weekend nights, Cleotilde Juárez Ramírez commands this patch of sidewalk, wielding a comal the size of a satellite dish over a brazier.—
Ligaya Mishan,
New York Times,
11 May 2026
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Tariffs have been central to Trump's economic policy, with the president wielding the levies as a weapon to push for new trade deals.—
Zac Anderson,
USA Today,
8 May 2026
Verb
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One way to do this is to drill down on a heart-healthy lifestyle, which includes measures like eating a nutritious diet and exercising regularly.—
Helen Carefoot,
Flow Space,
12 May 2026
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As workers shifted from manual to white collar labor, more people began exercising recreationally, to keep their bodies healthy despite sedentary work.—
Jamil Zaki,
CNBC,
12 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Exerting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exerting. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
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