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exert

[ ig-zurt ]
/ ɪgˈzɜrt /
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See synonyms for: exert / exerted / exerting / exerts 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.
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In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use exert in a sentence

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
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