as in applies
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 exerts
Here, Beethoven exerts a compulsion for triumphant glory.
—
Classical Music Critic, Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2026
Alicia Silverstone, in her most enduring performance, plays Cher Horowitz, a popular high schooler who exerts her influence through matchmaking and giving a makeover to the new kid in town.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Feb. 2026
Still, California’s much higher share of students facing these hardships and attending public schools — rather than being absorbed into private ones — exerts a downward pressure on statewide scores.
—Jill Stegman, Mercury News, 5 Feb. 2026
That ice exerts enormous weight—ice can add 500 pounds of weight to power lines, according to the Air Force Safety Center.
—Andrea Thompson, Scientific American, 26 Jan. 2026
How China exerts its influence across the globe Start with the political architecture.
—Dewardric L. McNeal, CNBC, 11 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
The team also uncovered how CISTR-ACT exerts its influence.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 16 Dec. 2025
Experts were split on whether the language exerts undue power on the judicial branch.
—Marissa Meador, IndyStar, 8 Dec. 2025
Classical Music Critic, Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2026
Alicia Silverstone, in her most enduring performance, plays Cher Horowitz, a popular high schooler who exerts her influence through matchmaking and giving a makeover to the new kid in town.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Feb. 2026
Still, California’s much higher share of students facing these hardships and attending public schools — rather than being absorbed into private ones — exerts a downward pressure on statewide scores.
—Jill Stegman, Mercury News, 5 Feb. 2026
That ice exerts enormous weight—ice can add 500 pounds of weight to power lines, according to the Air Force Safety Center.
—Andrea Thompson, Scientific American, 26 Jan. 2026
How China exerts its influence across the globe Start with the political architecture.
—Dewardric L. McNeal, CNBC, 11 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
The team also uncovered how CISTR-ACT exerts its influence.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 16 Dec. 2025
Experts were split on whether the language exerts undue power on the judicial branch.
—Marissa Meador, IndyStar, 8 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for exerts
Verb
-
This also applies to bedding—trading a heavy winter-time duvet for one with a lighter material like a linen or cotton percale can be a nice refresh.—
Elly Leavitt,
Vogue,
26 Mar. 2026
-
The iconic Redbird — a name that applies to a paint scheme that’s adorned multiple classes of subway cars — began as an anti-graffiti effort in 1984.—
Evan Simko-Bednarski,
New York Daily News,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In the maneuver, a deputy or officer or trooper uses the front of his or her patrol car to push the rear corner of a fleeing car or truck, forcing it into a spin and allowing the officer to block the car and bring it to a stop.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
28 Mar. 2026
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Aubrey mother uses rally to teach daughter Aubrey residents Emily Murray, 43, and her 9-year-old daughter Storie spent Friday evening making signs and decorating a shirt before attending their first No Kings protest in Frisco on Saturday.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
At sixty-five, Petzold, with light-hazel eyes and dark hair only just beginning to silver, still wields a boyish charisma.—
Holden Seidlitz,
New Yorker,
20 Mar. 2026
-
At stake is an office that wields outsized influence over national policy.—
Philip Jankowski
Austin Bureau,
Dallas Morning News,
19 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Exerts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exerts. Accessed 30 Mar. 2026.
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