exert

American  

[ig-zurt] / ɪgˈzɜrt /

verb (used with object)

• exerts,
  present (3rd person singular)
• exerted,
  past participle,  past
• exerting
  present participle

1. to put forth or into use, as power; exercise, as ability or influence; put into vigorous action.

   to exert every effort.

2. to put (oneself ) into strenuous, vigorous action or effort.

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exert British  

/ ɪɡˈzɜːt /

verb

1. to use (influence, authority, etc) forcefully or effectively

2. to apply (oneself) diligently; make a strenuous effort

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• exertion
  noun
• superexert
  verb (used with object)
• exertive
  adjective
• nonexertive
  adjective
• unexerted
  adjective
• well-exerted
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• exerting
  present
• exerted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• exert
  simple
• exerts
  simple
• have exerted
  perfect
• has exerted
  perfect
• am exerting
  progressive
• are exerting
  progressive
• is exerting
  progressive
• have been exerting
  perfect progressive
• has been exerting
  perfect progressive

Past

• exerted
  simple
• had exerted
  perfect
• was exerting
  progressive
• were exerting
  progressive
• had been exerting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will exert
  simple
• will have exerted
  perfect
• will be exerting
  progressive
• will have been exerting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of exert

First recorded in 1650–60; from Latin ex(s)ertus, past participle of exserere “to thrust out,” from ex- ex- ¹ + serere “to connect, join together”

Explanation

Exert basically means to put forth effort to do something. For example, when you exert yourself in a workout, you can really feel the burn in your muscles. The Latin verb exserere — with its derivative form exsertus, which is the source of our word — means to "put forth." That's where exert gets its meaning of physical force — consider that when you try hard at something, you put forth effort to do it, you push yourself. But exert can refer to other ways you "push": you exert your influence to convince others to think your way; when one nation exerts its power on another; and gravity exerts its force on us, holding us down on earth.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

exert exerts exerted exerting

"There's always a lot of lobbying, and ultimately perhaps also attempts to exert pressure on the committee," the secretary of the Nobel committee, Kristian Berg Harpviken, told AFP in an interview.

From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026

“It’s starting to edge into that restrictiveness zone where it’s going to begin to exert downward pressure on risk assets and economic activity,” said Joseph Purtell, a portfolio manager and rates trader at Neuberger Berman.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

Hybrid warfare or hybrid attacks are loose terms which tend to describe non-military methods designed to exert pressure and destabilise an adversary - for example cyberattacks, sabotage or misinformation.

From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026

“There’s only so much control we can exert over our lives and circumstances,” she said.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026

His thumb knew the exact weight in ounces which it would have to exert on the near side of the fulcrum.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White

Even though light can pass through it, making it invisible, it exerts a massive gravitational force that works to collapse the universe in on itself.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026

Instead, they detect its effects through the gravitational influence it exerts on stars, galaxies, and other visible objects.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 24, 2026

The southern hemisphere contains more of the planet's ocean water than the northern hemisphere and so exerts a bigger influence on average sea temperatures.

From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026

The simplicity of the Shaker objects exerts a power that is, at best, difficult to discern in the self-consciousness of most of the show’s recent pieces.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 4, 2026

It requires only a small amount of water to fill the tube, but because the height is great it exerts an enormous pressure—enough to burst the barrel.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

“The changing composition of the labor force has exerted significant downward pressure on the unemployment rate,” the ECB said earlier this year.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026

He then called Zia and exerted similar pressure.

From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026

Morgan was at the center of a web of banks and industrial enterprises that exerted unprecedented control over the country’s commerce.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026

The 46% of Monster.com poll respondents who identified micromanagement as a reason to leave a job may have found the version Chef Fields exerted on Carmy particularly uncomfortable.

From Salon ● Jul. 3, 2024

Any influence I exerted was in a strictly unofficial capacity.'

From "The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro

In its core regions, Indigenous communities became organized into political hierarchies, with powerful chiefdoms exerting influence over surrounding settlements.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 6, 2026

And changing the behavior isn’t necessarily about exerting more willpower or coming up with a better system.

From Slate ● Sep. 23, 2026

Malcolm quickly began exerting control over Amy's life.

From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026

"We are going to continue exerting pressure, and we've had very good discussions here already," Bessent told reporters Monday, a day after renewed exchanges of fire with Tehran.

From Barron's ● Aug. 31, 2026

I’d been exerting myself at full bore for the past three hours, and I expected to be at it for at least an hour more before taking a rest.

From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer

Related Words

• apply
• bring to bear
• exercise
• expend
• strive
• utilize
• wield