practice

[ prak-tis ]

/ ˈpræk tɪs /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR practice ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

habitual or customary performance; operation: office practice.

habit; custom: It is not the practice here for men to wear long hair.

repeated performance or systematic exercise for the purpose of acquiring skill or proficiency: Practice makes perfect.

condition arrived at by experience or exercise: She refused to play the piano, because she was out of practice.

the action or process of performing or doing something: to put a scheme into practice; the shameful practices of a blackmailer.

the exercise or pursuit of a profession or occupation, especially law or medicine: She plans to set up practice in her hometown.

the business of a professional person: The doctor wanted his daughter to take over his practice when he retired.

Law. the established method of conducting legal proceedings.

Archaic. plotting; intrigue; trickery.

Usually practices. Archaic. intrigues; plots.

verb (used with object), prac·ticed, prac·tic·ing.

to perform or do habitually or usually: to practice a strict regimen.

to follow or observe habitually or customarily: to practice one's religion.

to exercise or pursue as a profession, art, or occupation: to practice law.

to perform or do repeatedly in order to acquire skill or proficiency: to practice the violin.

to train or drill (a person, animal, etc.) in something in order to give proficiency.

verb (used without object), prac·ticed, prac·tic·ing.

to do something habitually or as a practice.

to pursue a profession, especially law or medicine.

to exercise oneself by repeated performance in order to acquire skill: to practice at shooting.

Archaic. to plot or conspire.

Nearby words

Also British, prac·tise (for defs 11–19).

Origin of practice

1375–1425; (v.) late Middle English practisen, practizen (< Middle French pra(c)tiser) < Medieval Latin prāctizāre, alteration of prācticāre, derivative of prāctica practical work < Greek prāktikḗ noun use of feminine of prāktikós practic; see -ize; (noun) late Middle English, derivative of the v.

SYNONYMS FOR practice

3 application.

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Related forms

prac·tic·er, nounmis·prac·tice, noun, verb, mis·prac·ticed, mis·prac·tic·ing.non·prac·tice, nounout·prac·tice, verb (used with object), out·prac·ticed, out·prac·tic·ing.

o·ver·prac·tice, verb (used with object), o·ver·prac·ticed, o·ver·prac·tic·ing.pre·prac·tice, verb, pre·prac·ticed, pre·prac·tic·ing.re·prac·tice, verb (used with object), re·prac·ticed, re·prac·tic·ing.

Synonym study

2. See custom. 3. See exercise.

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

Examples from the Web for practice

As a means of preventing tooth decay in those cities that do fluoridate, the practice certainly looks like a success.
Anti-Fluoriders Are The OG Anti-Vaxxers|Michael Schulson|July 27, 2016|DAILY BEAST
The men use the dolls to practice the basics of caring for babies.
How Good Dads Can Change the World|Gary Barker, PhD, Michael Kaufman|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
DeCrow would come to lead a movement against this practice, suing the Hotel Syracuse in 1969 and calling for protests and sit-ins.
The Bars That Made America Great|Nina Strochlic|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The WHO has agreed to meet with Yang and a number of Chinese NGOs to discuss a broader ruling on the practice.
China’s Electroshock Gay-Conversion Case|Nina Strochlic|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST

This story was used by some third-century North African Christians to justify the practice of women performing baptisms.
First Anglican Woman Bishop A Return to Christian Roots|Candida Moss|December 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Gods, in short belong to the region of belief, while morality belongs to that of practice.
The Necessity of Atheism|Dr. D.M. Brooks
All attempt at concealment implies some practice of the opposite, or undivine science, founded on nescience.
Unto This Last and Other Essays on Political Economy|John Ruskin
"You must have had practice, you took that so perfectly," said Elnora.
A Girl Of The Limberlost|Gene Stratton Porter
When we examine it closely, we find that in many respects it is the exact reverse of our practice.
The Booklover and His Books|Harry Lyman Koopman
Neefe did not, as was said of Beethoven's father, punish the little boy severely to keep him at his practice, hour after hour.
Beethoven|Thomas Tapper

British Dictionary definitions for practice

practice

/ (ˈpræktɪs) /

noun

a usual or customary action or proceedingit was his practice to rise at six; he made a practice of stealing stamps

repetition or exercise of an activity in order to achieve mastery and fluency

the condition of having mastery of a skill or activity through repetition (esp in the phrases in practice, out of practice)

the exercise of a professionhe set up practice as a lawyer

the act of doing somethinghe put his plans into practice

the established method of conducting proceedings in a court of law

verb

the US spelling of practise

Word Origin for practice

C16: from Medieval Latin practicāre to practise, from Greek praktikē practical science, practical work, from prattein to do, act

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

Word Origin and History for practice (1 of 2)

practice

c.1400, "to do, act;" early 15c., "to follow or employ; to carry on a profession," especially medicine, from Old French pratiser, practiser "to practice," alteration of practiquer, from Medieval Latin practicare "to do, perform, practice," from Late Latin practicus "practical," from Greek praktikos "practical" (see practical).

From early 15c. as "to perform repeatedly to acquire skill, to learn by repeated performance;" mid-15c. as "to perform, to work at, exercise." Related: Practiced; practicing.

Word Origin and History for practice (1 of 2)

practice

early 15c., practise, "practical application," originally especially of medicine but also alchemy, education, etc.; from Old French pratiser, from Medieval Latin practicare (see practice (v.)). From early 15c. often assimilated in spelling to nouns in -ice. Also as practic, which survived in parallel into 19c.

Medicine definitions for practice

practice

[ prăk′tĭs ]

v.

To engage in the profession of medicine or one of the allied health professions.

n.

The exercise of the profession of medicine.

The business of a practicing physician or group of physicians, including facilities and customary patients.

Idioms and Phrases with practice

practice

In addition to the idioms beginning with practice

practice makes perfect
practice what you preach

also see:

in practice
make a practice of
out of practice
put into practice
sharp practice

practice

noun

verb (used with object), prac·ticed, prac·tic·ing.

verb (used without object), prac·ticed, prac·tic·ing.

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of practice

Synonym study

Examples from the Web for practice

British Dictionary definitions for practice

practice

noun

verb

Word Origin for practice

Word Origin and History for practice (1 of 2)

practice

Word Origin and History for practice (1 of 2)

practice

Medicine definitions for practice

practice

v.

n.

Idioms and Phrases with practice

practice