in practice

Idioms  

1. Actually, in fact, especially as opposed to theoretically or in principle . For example, In practice this contraption seems to work, although no one knows how or why . [Second half of 1500s] Also see put into practice .

2. In the exercise of a particular profession, as in She's an obstetrician and has been in practice for at least ten years . [c. 1700]

3. In a state of being exercised so as to maintain one's skill, as in This trumpeter is always in practice . [Early 1600s] For an antonym, see out of practice .

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

in practice

But what associate membership of one of the world’s largest trading blocs means in practice is still fuzzy and significant hurdles remain to making the relationship official.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026

But television history is littered with fine ideas that don’t pan out in practice.

From Salon ● Sep. 15, 2026

When it came time to take an offline test, the students who used the general platform, which was capable of giving them the answers in practice, scored 17% lower than those with no AI.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026

The researchers used Bangladesh to demonstrate how their framework could work in practice.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 9, 2026

Twelve hours later, sleep was still just that—a matter of principle, unattainable in practice.

From "I, Robot" by Isaac Asimov