practice
Americannoun
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practices
plural
-
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.
- Synonyms:
- application
-
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.
-
Archaic. Usually practices. intrigues; plots.
verb (used with object)
-
practices,
present (3rd person singular)
-
practiced,
past participle, past
-
practicing
present participle
-
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)
-
practices,
present (3rd person singular)
-
practiced,
past participle, past
-
practicing
present participle
-
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.
noun
-
a usual or customary action or proceeding
it 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 profession
he set up practice as a lawyer
-
the act of doing something
he put his plans into practice
-
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
-
practicernoun
-
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
-
practicesimple
-
practicessimple
-
have practicedperfect
-
has practicedperfect
-
am practicingprogressive
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are practicingprogressive
-
is practicingprogressive
-
have been practicingperfect progressive
-
has been practicingperfect progressive
Past
-
practicedsimple
-
had practicedperfect
-
was practicingprogressive
-
were practicingprogressive
-
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:
In practice, however, hardly anyone wants to use it.
From Slate ● Sep. 20, 2026
Kansas head coach Lance Leipold added that the hospitality was outstanding, while the hotel and practice facility "was a win".
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026
And law firms are eager to avoid situations where equity partners hold on to their positions while winding down their practice or taking less work, which can squeeze the finances of others down the ranks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026
Aaron Donald will play on Monday night against the New York Giants, but Rams star receiver Puka Nacua did not practice and is questionable for the game at SoFi Stadium, coach Sean McVay said Saturday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
“Okay, I’ll hold you up while you practice moving your arms and legs. Go on, you can do it!”
From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo
Nacua, an All-Pro who led the NFL in receptions last season, was sidelined for a few weeks of preseason practices because of a psoas injury.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
Vidali says prescribing GLP-1s off-label is becoming more mainstream, particularly in fertility practices, for women with polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome, or PMOS, and related metabolic issues such as insulin resistance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
In particular, I would want an elder-law attorney who practices in the state where your cousin lives to look at the property ownership, finances and government benefits.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 17, 2026
The Bishop of Leicester raised in the House of Lords his concern "about the lack of clarity on the difference between harmful conversion practices and perfectly acceptable practices of pastoral care and indeed prayer".
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
Collin is a kid who skateboards at the park where the summer team practices.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
Defensive lineman Aaron Donald also practiced, but coach Sean McVay said before the workout his status for the opener was continuing to be evaluated “a day at a time.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026
This led to a long, profitable, well-publicized run as a familiar New York character: the courthouse fixer, connoisseur of the high life, agent of influence and lawyer who largely practiced law on the telephone.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
Comparable skeletal evidence also suggests that Princess Noub-Hotep and King Hor practiced archery.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 30, 2026
And as skilled as she was at this repartee, it never came off overly practiced.
From Salon ● Aug. 28, 2026
He was therefore well practiced in subordinating his own inclinations and style to Washington’s larger purposes.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
Much of my life is dedicated to preaching that art, and practicing reverence for it can be the glue that keeps us together when the world wants us torn apart.
From Salon ● Sep. 17, 2026
But an insurance policy for your pet doesn’t simply wipe those costs away, noted Quammen, a practicing veterinarian.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026
When he began practicing urology in the 1980s, the common misunderstanding was that testosterone injections caused prostate cancer, further suppressing research and treatment of testosterone deficiency.
From Slate ● Sep. 13, 2026
For two months I’d been practicing this move with an array of students from across Los Angeles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
“Really? Well, too bad, Mila. Because I’m the leader of this section, and we’re practicing my solo today. And Ms. Fender won’t be happy if you mess me up.”
From "Maybe He Just Likes You" by Barbara Dee
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.
