practice
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.
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.
Usually practices. Archaic. intrigues; plots.
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.
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.
Origin of practice
1- Also British, prac·tise (for defs. 11-19) .
synonym study For practice
Other words for practice
Other words from practice
- prac·tic·er, noun
- mis·prac·tice, noun, verb, mis·prac·ticed, mis·prac·tic·ing.
- non·prac·tice, noun
- outpractice, verb (used with object), out·prac·ticed, out·prac·tic·ing.
- o·ver·prac·tice, verb (used with object), o·ver·prac·ticed, o·ver·prac·tic·ing.
- pre·prac·tice, verb, pre·prac·ticed, pre·prac·tic·ing.
- re·prac·tice, verb (used with object), re·prac·ticed, re·prac·tic·ing.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
British Dictionary definitions for practice
/ (ˈpræktɪs) /
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
the US spelling of practise
Origin of practice
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with practice
In addition to the idioms beginning with practice
- practice makes perfect
- practice what you preach
also see:
- in practice
- make a practice of
- out of practice
- put into practice
- sharp practice
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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