exert
Americanverb (used with object)
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to put forth or into use, as power; exercise, as ability or influence; put into vigorous action.
to exert every effort.
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to put (oneself ) into strenuous, vigorous action or effort.
verb
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to use (influence, authority, etc) forcefully or effectively
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to apply (oneself) diligently; make a strenuous effort
Other Word Forms
- exertion noun
- exertive adjective
- nonexertive adjective
- superexert verb (used with object)
- unexerted adjective
- well-exerted adjective
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”
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.
At the same time, the dense gas in the LMC exerted strong pressure on the SMC's gas, effectively stripping away its rotation.
From Science Daily
It’s often difficult to tell when an investor is financing a firm’s caseload, much less whether they’re exerting influence on a case.
From Los Angeles Times
But this is not the full story of the purges, which have been driven by a leader exerting ever more control over the party and the country.
From BBC
This entails programs to promote standard Chinese as the national lingua franca, instill pride in Chinese cultural heritage and exert stronger central control over regions with large ethnic-minority populations such as Tibet and Xinjiang.
That suggests that tariffs continue to exert some upward pressure on consumer prices.
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.
