exert

[ ig-zurt ]

/ ɪgˈzɜrt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR exert ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to put forth or into use, as power; exercise, as ability or influence; put into vigorous action: to exert every effort.

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

Nearby words

exercycle, exeresis, exergaming, exergonic, exergue, exert, exert oneself, exertainment, exertion, exeter, exeunt

Origin of exert

1650–60; < Latin ex(s)ertus, past participle of exserere to thrust out, equivalent to ex- ex-¹ + ser(ere) to bind together + -tus past participle suffix

Related forms

ex·er·tive, adjectivenon·ex·er·tive, adjectivesu·per·ex·ert, verb (used with object)un·ex·ert·ed, adjective

well-ex·ert·ed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for exert

His self-doubt prompts him to exert more control and project bitterness.
The Walking Dead’s Luke Skywalker: Rick Grimes Is the Perfect Modern-Day Mythical Hero|Regina Lizik|October 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But these brand-new technologies also allow fertile women to exert extraordinary control in creating their families.
‘Designer’ Babies Are Only for the Rich|Jean Twenge|July 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Younger judges can exert their influence for decades, and can even be candidates for later Supreme Court vacancies.
Obama’s Shocking Success on Judgeships Overturns Conventional Wisdom|David Fontana|June 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And then it meant that I knew the power that I, as Eric, could exert over him—even in the few first moments when I speak to him.
The Great Character Actor: Guy Pearce on His Brilliant Career, From ‘Priscilla’ to ‘The Rover’|Richard Porton|May 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Together, they could exert massive pressure on the government to get jobs for all.
Alex Haley’s 1965 Playboy Interview with Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.|Alex Haley|January 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Exert yourself to the utmost—expend all the force that is within you—do your best—do your worst.
Nuggets of the New Thought|William Walker Atkinson,
He may not exert much influence in the learned or the artistic world, but he is certainly a social and a political force.
The Unpopular Review, Number 19|Various
There is a positive necessity for me to exert myself now, but first I have some examinations to make.
Miriam Monfort|Catherine A. Warfield
She said she had tried to exert herself, and so, I have no doubt, she had.
David Copperfield|Charles Dickens
I clutched him by the arm so tightly that he winced under it and had to exert his strength to throw me off.
Pharos, The Egyptian|Guy Newell Boothby

British Dictionary definitions for exert

exert

/ (ɪɡˈzɜːt) /

verb (tr)

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

to apply (oneself) diligently; make a strenuous effort

Derived Forms

exertion, nounexertive, adjective

Word Origin for exert

C17 (in the sense: push forth, emit): from Latin exserere to thrust out, from ex- 1 + serere to bind together, entwine

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

exert

verb (used with object)

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Nearby words

Origin of exert

Related forms

Examples from the Web for exert

British Dictionary definitions for exert

exert

verb (tr)

Derived Forms

Word Origin for exert