exert

[ ig-zurt ]

/ ɪgˈzɜrt /

SEE 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.

Words nearby exert

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

OTHER WORDS FROM exert

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. 2020

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 of exert

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)

Words related to exert

Words nearby exert

Origin of exert

OTHER WORDS FROM exert

Examples from the Web for exert

British Dictionary definitions for exert

verb (tr)

Derived forms of exert

Word Origin for exert