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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mispracticenoun
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nonpracticenoun
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practicernoun
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prepracticeverb
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outpracticeverb (used with object)
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overpracticeverb (used with object)
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repracticeverb (used with object)
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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practicesimple
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practicessimple
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have practicedperfect
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has practicedperfect
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am practicingprogressive
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are practicingprogressive
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is practicingprogressive
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have been practicingperfect progressive
-
has been practicingperfect progressive
Past
-
practicedsimple
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had practicedperfect
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was practicingprogressive
-
were practicingprogressive
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had been practicingperfect progressive
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.
See Examples For:
More importantly, how do lenders typically view a past bankruptcy in practice?
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026
According to Lambers Heerspink, the improvement was not only statistically significant but also meaningful in clinical practice.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 16, 2026
She demonstrated her leadership during Thursday’s practice as well as some bully ball inside.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 16, 2026
Englishman Aaron Rai, fresh off winning his first career major at the PGA Championship, stopped by Royal Birkdale a couple of weeks ago for a practice round and enjoyed the soft conditions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
“Then I called your other teachers. Enough’s enough. First it’s swim practice, now this? Get in.”
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
“We are in direct communication with members, encouraging them to review their policies, staffing, inspection practices, borrower communications, disbursement timelines and determination processes, and escalation procedures,” Gigliotti said in a statement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
They have unleashed more than $25 billion in domestic investment, helping reverse years of decline caused by global excess capacity and unfair trade practices.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
"A review of organisational culture, human factors and safety practices was undertaken. A psychological autopsy and evaluation were conducted, and the final report of the psychologist has been received," the affidavit said.
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026
The perceived unfairness of the PIX system and other alleged discriminatory trade practices has led the US to threaten a 25 percent tariff on some Brazilian exports.
From Barron's ● Jul. 14, 2026
This principle of ever-more-exact measurement derives from Tycho Brahe; in tightening up the relationship between evidence and theory in physics, Galileo was extrapolating from the practices of the astronomers.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
While scientists have learned a great deal about the early stages of learning, much less has been known about what happens after a skill has been practiced extensively and becomes almost effortless.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 12, 2026
But Sabucha said several of these customs were never genuinely even part of Vlkolinec's past and others were no longer practiced.
From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026
The experienced and arrogant Lee, Washington’s second-in-command, practiced what he described as a “virtuous kind of treason.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026
"He must've practiced, he's obviously looked at the keeper."
From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2026
The trouble was, he only knew two fighting tricks, and he hadn’t practiced them more than a few times.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
Private-practice attorney Nick Owens and Austin Baurichter, a practicing lawyer and Karley’s husband, began drafting the ConserveOhio petition in March to fight back against local plans to build large-scale data centers across the region.
From Salon ● Jul. 9, 2026
Since our reporting on Sawyer aired in February 2025, he has been banned from practicing following a legal injunction brought by Trafford Council.
From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026
He last played quarterback in eighth grade for flag football and decided to help himself recover faster from his knee injury by practicing throwing a football when he couldn’t run.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 28, 2026
"I used to see him practicing it at the beach with his father, and I watched and learned from them," he told AFP.
From Barron's ● Jun. 22, 2026
I nod and go back to practicing my guitar.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
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.
