practice

British, prac·tise

[prak-tis]

noun

1. habitual or customary performance; operation.

   office practice.

2. habit; custom.

   It is not the practice here for men to wear long hair.

3. repeated performance or systematic exercise for the purpose of acquiring skill or proficiency.

   Practice makes perfect.

   Synonyms: application

4. condition arrived at by experience or exercise.

   She refused to play the piano, because she was out of practice.

5. the action or process of performing or doing something.

   to put a scheme into practice;

   the shameful practices of a blackmailer.

6. the exercise or pursuit of a profession or occupation, especially law or medicine.

   She plans to set up practice in her hometown.

7. the business of a professional person.

   The doctor wanted his daughter to take over his practice when he retired.

8. Law.,  the established method of conducting legal proceedings.

9. Archaic.,  plotting; intrigue; trickery.

10. Archaic.,  Usually practices. intrigues; plots.

verb (used with object)

practiced, practicing 

1. to perform or do habitually or usually.

   to practice a strict regimen.

2. to follow or observe habitually or customarily.

   to practice one's religion.

3. to exercise or pursue as a profession, art, or occupation.

   to practice law.

4. to perform or do repeatedly in order to acquire skill or proficiency.

   to practice the violin.

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

verb (used without object)

practiced, practicing 

1. to do something habitually or as a practice.

2. to pursue a profession, especially law or medicine.

3. to exercise oneself by repeated performance in order to acquire skill.

   to practice at shooting.

4. Archaic.,  to plot or conspire.

practice

/ ˈpræktɪs /

noun

1. a usual or customary action or proceeding

   it was his practice to rise at six

   he made a practice of stealing stamps

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

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

4. the exercise of a profession

   he set up practice as a lawyer

5. the act of doing something

   he put his plans into practice

6. the established method of conducting proceedings in a court of law

verb

1. the US spelling of practise

Other Word Forms

• practicer noun
• mispractice noun
• nonpractice noun
• outpractice verb (used with object)
• overpractice verb (used with object)
• prepractice verb
• repractice verb (used with object)

Word History and Origins

Origin of practice¹

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English verb practisen, practizen, from Middle French pra(c)tiser, from Medieval Latin prāctizāre, alteration of prācticāre, derivative of prāctica “practical work,” from Greek prāktikḗ, noun use of feminine of prāktikós; noun derivative of the verb; practic ( def. ), -ize ( def. )

Word History and Origins

Origin of practice¹

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

Idioms and Phrases

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

Synonym Study

See custom. See exercise.

Example Sentences

Not long after that news conference, Ohtani took the unusual step of taking batting practice on the field, something he rarely does.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

In addition to using players and social media influencers to promote healthy skin care practices on social media and at league events, CeraVe products will be in locker rooms.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Gary Klein reports from Rams practice at Camden Yards in Baltimore as the team prepares for its London game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Gary Klein reports from Rams practice at Camden Yards in Baltimore as the team prepares for its London game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

So, during the team’s off-day workout Wednesday at Dodger Stadium, ahead of Game 3 of the NL Championship Series, Ohtani informed the club’s hitting coaches he wanted to take batting practice on the field.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• form 
• habit 
• method 
• proceeding 
• process 
• rule 
• system 
• tradition 
• use 

When To Use

What’s the difference between practice and practise?

In British English (and many other international varieties of English), the spelling practice is used when the word is a noun, while the spelling practise is used when it’s a verb. In American English, the spelling practice is always used, regardless of whether the word is used as a verb or a noun.This is somewhat similar to the difference in spelling between advice (noun) and advise (verb)—a distinction that’s used in both British and American English.However, unlike advice and advise, practice and practise are always pronounced the same.Here is an example of how practice and practise would be used in the same sentence in British English.Example: Remember, practice makes perfect—the more you practise, the better you will get. Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between practice and practise.