practice
Americannoun
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habitual or customary performance; operation.
office practice.
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habit; custom.
It is not the practice here for men to wear long hair.
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repeated performance or systematic exercise for the purpose of acquiring skill or proficiency.
Practice makes perfect.
- Synonyms:
- application
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condition arrived at by experience or exercise.
She refused to play the piano, because she was out of practice.
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the action or process of performing or doing something.
to put a scheme into practice;
the shameful practices of a blackmailer.
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the exercise or pursuit of a profession or occupation, especially law or medicine.
She plans to set up practice in her hometown.
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the business of a professional person.
The doctor wanted his daughter to take over his practice when he retired.
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Law. the established method of conducting legal proceedings.
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Archaic. plotting; intrigue; trickery.
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Archaic. Usually practices. intrigues; plots.
verb (used with object)
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to perform or do habitually or usually.
to practice a strict regimen.
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to follow or observe habitually or customarily.
to practice one's religion.
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to exercise or pursue as a profession, art, or occupation.
to practice law.
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to perform or do repeatedly in order to acquire skill or proficiency.
to practice the violin.
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to train or drill (a person, animal, etc.) in something in order to give proficiency.
verb (used without object)
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to do something habitually or as a practice.
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to pursue a profession, especially law or medicine.
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to exercise oneself by repeated performance in order to acquire skill.
to practice at shooting.
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Archaic. to plot or conspire.
noun
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a usual or customary action or proceeding
it was his practice to rise at six
he made a practice of stealing stamps
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repetition or exercise of an activity in order to achieve mastery and fluency
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the condition of having mastery of a skill or activity through repetition (esp in the phrases in practice, out of practice )
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the exercise of a profession
he set up practice as a lawyer
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the act of doing something
he put his plans into practice
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the established method of conducting proceedings in a court of law
verb
Usage
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.
Synonym Usage
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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outpracticeverb (used with object)
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overpracticeverb (used with object)
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mispracticenoun
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nonpracticenoun
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practicernoun
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prepracticeverb
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repracticeverb (used with object)
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have practicedperfect
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has practicedperfect 3rd person singular
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has been practicingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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am practicingprogressive 1st person singular
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is practicingprogressive 3rd person singular
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practicingparticiple
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are practicingprogressive
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have been practicingperfect progressive
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practicessingular 3rd person
Past
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had practicedperfect
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had been practicingperfect progressive
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was practicingprogressive singular
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were practicingprogressive plural
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practicedparticiple
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practicedsimple
Future
Etymology
Origin of practice
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; see practic ( def. ), -ize ( def. )
Explanation
Practice can be a noun or a verb, but either way it's about how things are done on a regular basis. You can practice shotput every day because your town has a practice of supporting track-and-field events. One can practice the tuba for hours on end, repeating the same song over and over, serving to both get better at the tuba and to convince the neighbors they should move to Florida. You could learn the common practice of offering a guest a beverage when they arrive at your party, if you care to be polite. One can also practice a profession or a religion, as in “I practice Buddhism and I have a booming international law practice.”
Vocabulary lists containing practice
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Whatever path Iranian funds take, they almost inevitably touch the dollar, in practice through dollar-pegged stablecoins, principally Tether, favored for its global liquidity.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026
The researchers also pointed out that some studies evaluated only single doses, which may not accurately reflect how these medications are used in everyday medical practice.
From Science Daily • Jun. 9, 2026
West Ham said it had clear and robust safeguarding measures in place and the club was unable to comment or provide details on "any individual safeguarding matter as per standard practice in the industry".
From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026
Brussels said the fee offered earlier this year "at first sight" was "in practice equivalent to the previous access ban".
From Barron's • Jun. 9, 2026
To qualify for the racing team in junior high she would have to practice every day.
From "Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes" by Eleanor Coerr
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
