Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Practice
Prac′tice
,Noun.
1.
Frequently repeated or customary action; habitual performance; a succession of acts of a similar kind; usage; habit; custom;
as, the
practice
of rising early; the practice
of making regular entries of accounts; the practice
of daily exercise. A heart . . . exercised with covetous
practices
. 2 Pet. ii. 14.
2.
Customary or constant use; state of being used.
Obsolete words may be revived when they are more sounding or more significant than those in
practice
. Dryden.
3.
Skill or dexterity acquired by use; expertness.
[R.]
“His nice fence and his active practice.” Shak.
4.
Actual performance; application of knowledge; – opposed to theory.
There are two functions of the soul, – contemplation and
practice
. South.
There is a distinction, but no opposition, between theory and
practice
; each, to a certain extent, supposes the other; theory is dependent on practice
; practice
must have preceded theory. Sir W. Hamilton.
5.
Systematic exercise for instruction or discipline;
as, the troops are called out for
practice
; she neglected practice
in music. 6.
Application of science to the wants of men; the exercise of any profession; professional business;
as, the
practice
of medicine or law; a large or lucrative practice
.Practice
is exercise of an art, or the application of a science in life, which application is itself an art. Sir W. Hamilton.
7.
Skillful or artful management; dexterity in contrivance or the use of means; art; stratagem; artifice; plot; – usually in a bad sense.
[Obs.]
Bacon.
He sought to have that by
practice
which he could not by prayer. Sir P. Sidney.
8.
(Math.)
A easy and concise method of applying the rules of arithmetic to questions which occur in trade and business.
9.
(Law)
The form, manner, and order of conducting and carrying on suits and prosecutions through their various stages, according to the principles of law and the rules laid down by the courts.
Bouvier.
Syn. – Custom; usage; habit; manner.
Prac′tice
,Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Practiced
; p. pr. & vb. n.
Practicing
.] [Often written
practise
, practised
, practising
.] 1.
To do or perform frequently, customarily, or habitually; to make a practice of;
“Incline not my heart . . . practice wicked works.” as, to
. practice
gamingPs. cxli. 4.
2.
To exercise, or follow, as a profession, trade, art, etc.,
as, to
. practice
law or medicine2.
To exercise one’s self in, for instruction or improvement, or to acquire discipline or dexterity;
as, to
practice
gunnery; to practice
music. 4.
To put into practice; to carry out; to act upon; to commit; to execute; to do.
“Aught but Talbot's shadow whereon to practice your severity.” Shak.
As this advice ye
practice
or neglect. Pope.
5.
To make use of; to employ.
[Obs.]
In malice to this good knight's wife, I
practiced
Ubaldo and Ricardo to corrupt her. Massinger.
6.
To teach or accustom by practice; to train.
In church they are taught to love God; after church they are
practiced
to love their neighbor. Landor.
Prac′tice
,Verb.
I.
[Often written
practise
.] 1.
To perform certain acts frequently or customarily, either for instruction, profit, or amusement;
as, to
practice
with the broadsword or with the rifle; to practice
on the piano. 2.
To learn by practice; to form a habit.
They shall
practice
how to live secure. Milton.
Practice
first over yourself to reign. Waller.
3.
To try artifices or stratagems.
He will
practice
against thee by poison. Shakespeare
4.
To apply theoretical science or knowledge, esp. by way of experiment; to exercise or pursue an employment or profession, esp. that of medicine or of law.
[I am] little inclined to
practice
on others, and as little that others should practice
on me. Sir W. Temple.
Webster 1828 Edition
Practice
PRAC'TICE
,Noun.
1.
Frequent or customary actions; a succession of acts of a similar kind or in a like employment; as the practice of rising early or of dining late; the practice of reading a portion of Scripture morning and evening; the practice of making regular entries of accounts; the practice of virtue or vice. Habit is the effect of practice.2.
Use; customary use. Obsolete words may be revived when the are more sounding or significant than those in practice.
3.
Dexterity acquired by use. [Unusual.]4.
Actual performance; distinguished from theory. There are two functions of the soul, contemplation and practice, according to the general division of objects, some of which only entertain our speculations, others employ our actions.
5.
Application of remedies; medical treatment of diseases. Tow physicians may differ widely in their practice.6.
Exercise of any profession; as the practice of law or of medicine; the practice of arms.7.
Frequent use; exercise for instruction or discipline. The troops are daily called out for practice.8.
Skillful or artful management; dexterity in contrivance or the use of means; art; stratagem; artifice; usually in a bad sense. He sought to have that by practice which he could not by prayer.
[This use of the word is genuine; from L. experior. It is not a mistake as Johnson supposes. See the Verb.]
9.
A rule in arithmetic, by which the operations of the general rules are abridged in use.PRAC'TICE
,Verb.
T.
1.
To do or perform frequently, customarily or habitually; to perform by a succession of acts; as, to practice gaming; to practice fraud or deception; to practice the virtues of charity and beneficence; to practice hypocrisy. Is.32. Many praise virtue who do not practice it.
2.
To use or exercise any profession or art; as, to practice law or medicine; to practice gunnery or surveying.3.
To use or exercise for instruction, discipline or dexterity. [In this sense, the verb is usually intransitive.]4.
To commit; to perpetrate; as the horrors practiced at Wyoming.5.
To use; as a practiced road. [Unusual.]PRAC'TICE
,Verb.
I.
1.
To form a habit of acting in any manner. They shall practice how to live secure.
2.
To transact or negotiate secretly. I have practic'd with him,
And found means to let the victor know
That Syphax and Sempronius are his friends.
3.
To try artifices. Others, by guilty artifice and arts
Of promis'd kindness, practic'd on our hearts.
4.
To use evil arts or stratagems. If you there
Did practice on my state--
5.
To use medical methods or experiments. I am little inclined to practice on others,and as little that others should practice on me.
6.
To exercise any employment or profession. A physician has practiced many years with success.Definition 2024
practice
practice
English
Alternative forms
- practise (British, Irish, Canadian, Australian, New Zealand, South African, verb)
Noun
practice (usually uncountable, plural practices)
- Repetition of an activity to improve a skill.
- He will need lots of practice with the lines before he performs them.
- An organized event for the purpose of performing such repetition.
- Being on a team is hard: you're always having to go to practice while everyone else is taking it easy.
- I have choir practice every Sunday after church.
- (uncountable) The ongoing pursuit of a craft or profession, particularly in medicine or the fine arts.
- (countable) A place where a professional service is provided, such as a general practice.
- She ran a thriving medical practice.
- The observance of religious duties that a church requires of its members.
- A customary action, habit, or behaviour; a manner or routine.
- It is the usual practice of employees there to wear neckties only when meeting with customers.
- It is good practice to check each door and window before leaving.
- Actual operation or experiment, in contrast to theory.
- That may work in theory, but will it work in practice?
- (law) The form, manner, and order of conducting and carrying on suits and prosecutions through their various stages, according to the principles of law and the rules laid down by the courts.
- This firm of solicitors is involved in family law practice.
- Skilful or artful management; dexterity in contrivance or the use of means; stratagem; artifice.
- Sir Philip Sidney
- He sought to have that by practice which he could not by prayer.
- (Can we find and add a quotation of Francis Bacon to this entry?)
- Sir Philip Sidney
- (mathematics) A easy and concise method of applying the rules of arithmetic to questions which occur in trade and business.
Usage notes
British, Australian and New Zealand English spelling distinguishes between practice (a noun) and practise (a verb), analogously with advice/advise. In American English, the spelling practice is commonly used for both noun and verb.
Synonyms
- (improvement of skill): rehearsal, drill, exercise, training, workout
- (customary action): custom, habit, routine, wont, wone
Derived terms
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Related terms
Translations
repetition of an activity to improve skill
|
|
an ongoing pursuit of a craft or profession
an observance of religious duties
customary action, habit, or behaviour
actual operation or experiment, in contrast to theory
Verb
practice (third-person singular simple present practices, present participle practicing, simple past and past participle practiced) (US)
- (transitive) To repeat (an activity) as a way of improving one's skill in that activity.
- You should practice playing piano every day.
- (intransitive) To repeat an activity in this way.
- If you want to speak French well, you need to practice.
- (transitive) To perform or observe in a habitual fashion.
- 2012 March-April, John T. Jost, “Social Justice: Is It in Our Nature (and Our Future)?”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 2, page 162:
- He draws eclectically on studies of baboons, descriptive anthropological accounts of hunter-gatherer societies and, in a few cases, the fossil record. With this biological framework in place, Corning endeavors to show that the capitalist system as currently practiced in the United States and elsewhere is manifestly unfair.
- They gather to practice religion every Saturday.
-
- (transitive) To pursue (a career, especially law, fine art or medicine).
- She practiced law for forty years before retiring.
- (intransitive, archaic) To conspire.
- Alternative spelling of practise
Usage notes
- In sense "to repeat an activity as a way improving one's skill" this is a catenative verb that takes the gerund (-ing). See Appendix:English catenative verbs
Derived terms
Translations
to repeat an activity as a way of improving one's skill
|
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to perform or execute a craft or skill
to perform or observe in a habitual fashion
to pursue (a career, especially law, fine art or medicine)