practice
Americannoun
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habitual or customary performance; operation.
office practice.
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habit; custom.
It is not the practice here for men to wear long hair.
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repeated performance or systematic exercise for the purpose of acquiring skill or proficiency.
Practice makes perfect.
- Synonyms:
- application
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condition arrived at by experience or exercise.
She refused to play the piano, because she was out of practice.
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the action or process of performing or doing something.
to put a scheme into practice;
the shameful practices of a blackmailer.
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the exercise or pursuit of a profession or occupation, especially law or medicine.
She plans to set up practice in her hometown.
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the business of a professional person.
The doctor wanted his daughter to take over his practice when he retired.
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Law. the established method of conducting legal proceedings.
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Archaic. plotting; intrigue; trickery.
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Archaic. Usually practices. intrigues; plots.
verb (used with object)
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to perform or do habitually or usually.
to practice a strict regimen.
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to follow or observe habitually or customarily.
to practice one's religion.
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to exercise or pursue as a profession, art, or occupation.
to practice law.
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to perform or do repeatedly in order to acquire skill or proficiency.
to practice the violin.
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to train or drill (a person, animal, etc.) in something in order to give proficiency.
verb (used without object)
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to do something habitually or as a practice.
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to pursue a profession, especially law or medicine.
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to exercise oneself by repeated performance in order to acquire skill.
to practice at shooting.
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Archaic. to plot or conspire.
noun
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a usual or customary action or proceeding
it was his practice to rise at six
he made a practice of stealing stamps
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repetition or exercise of an activity in order to achieve mastery and fluency
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the condition of having mastery of a skill or activity through repetition (esp in the phrases in practice, out of practice )
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the exercise of a profession
he set up practice as a lawyer
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the act of doing something
he put his plans into practice
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the established method of conducting proceedings in a court of law
verb
Usage
What’s the difference between practice and practise? In British English (and many other international varieties of English), the spelling practice is used when the word is a noun, while the spelling practise is used when it’s a verb. In American English, the spelling practice is always used, regardless of whether the word is used as a verb or a noun.This is somewhat similar to the difference in spelling between advice (noun) and advise (verb)—a distinction that’s used in both British and American English.However, unlike advice and advise, practice and practise are always pronounced the same.Here is an example of how practice and practise would be used in the same sentence in British English.Example: Remember, practice makes perfect—the more you practise, the better you will get. Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between practice and practise.
Related Words
Other Word Forms
- mispractice noun
- nonpractice noun
- outpractice verb (used with object)
- overpractice verb (used with object)
- practicer noun
- prepractice verb
- repractice verb (used with object)
Etymology
Origin of practice
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English verb practisen, practizen, from Middle French pra(c)tiser, from Medieval Latin prāctizāre, alteration of prācticāre, derivative of prāctica “practical work,” from Greek prāktikḗ, noun use of feminine of prāktikós; noun derivative of the verb; practic ( def. ), -ize ( def. )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The arrangement resembles an "acquihire" – a practice increasingly common in Silicon Valley where larger tech companies poach key staff from smaller firms, leaving a small remnant of the company behind.
From Barron's
They are expected to practice Friday at SoFi Stadium, and Saturday at their Woodland Hills facility.
From Los Angeles Times
The best practice is to add between 5% and 10% to your budget as a buffer to protect against price spikes and emergency expenses.
From MarketWatch
Liu retaliated against them after the employees refused to engage in deceptive business practices and raised concerns, the lawsuits say.
From Los Angeles Times
Critics say it is an outdated practice that serves no real purpose other than to prop up an agency that takes its job way too seriously.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
