exercise
noun
bodily or mental exertion, especially for the sake of training or improvement of health.
were exercising
-
past progressiveof exercise.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
Because participants knew whether they were exercising and reported their own pain and function, the benefits of exercise may have appeared larger than they actually were.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 28, 2026
"All along, we felt that we were exercising our civil rights in a reasonable manner."
From Barron's ● May 18, 2026
The judge said that although this was a crime that deserved a harsh penalty, they were exercising leniency considering the lack of society's support for mothers in situations like this.
From BBC ● Mar. 4, 2026
Justice Department officials rejected the defense that Lemon and the other journalists were exercising their 1st Amendment rights as journalists, and accused them of violating the rights of churchgoers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 31, 2026
The grossest calumnies the foulest lies, were industriously circulated, to lower their prestige, and bring about a downfall of that spiritual power they had justly acquired, and were exercising for the good of souls.
From The Friars in the Philippines by Ambrose Coleman
