exercise

exerciseverb

American /ˈɛk.sɚ.saɪz/ British /ˈek.sə.saɪz/ The stress is on the first part: EK-ser-size. The last part rhymes with size.
third-person singular exercises past tense exercised past participle exercised present participle exercising

To exercise something is to use it actively so that it stays strong and works well, whether it is your body or a right or power that you have.

  1. bodymove your body and make it work hard so that you stay healthy and strong

    intransitive [I]

    Collocations

    verb + adverb exercise regularly, exercise daily, exercise hard
    phrase exercise at the gym, exercise at home

    Synonyms train

    Compare practice (for a skill, not the body)

  2. muscles or animalsmake a part of the body, or an animal, move and work so that it stays strong and healthy

    transitive [T] verb + object [V + obj]

    Collocations

    verb + noun exercise a dog, exercise a horse, exercise a muscle
  3. use a rightuse a power, right, or quality that you have

    transitive [T] verb + object [V + obj] formal

    Collocations

    verb + noun exercise a right, exercise power, exercise control, exercise care, exercise caution, exercise judgment

    Synonyms use

Word family

  • exercise

Choosing between exercise · practice · train

Exercise is about keeping the body strong and healthy, your own or an animal's: I exercise every morning, exercise the dog; it can also mean using a right or power. Practice means doing something again and again to get better at a skill: practice the piano, practice your English. Train means preparing over a period of time for a sport, a job, or an event: train for a race.

Common mistakes

I exercise my English every day. I practice my English every day.
For a skill such as a language or an instrument, use practice; exercise is for the body.

For translators

False friends "exercise": for a skill such as a language, English uses practice, not exercise, although many languages use one word for both.