# exercise

Pronunciation: US say "EK-sur-syz" /ˈɛk.sɚ.saɪz/; UK say "EK-suh-syz" /ˈɛk.sə.saɪz/

## Noun

1. Exertion of the body, or sometimes of the mind, undertaken to build strength and keep fit.
   - Simple: Movement or activity you do to keep your body or mind strong and healthy.
   - _Doctors recommend at least thirty minutes of exercise most days._
   - _She fits some exercise into her busy schedule by cycling to work._
3. A task, drill, or problem done as practice to build or sharpen a particular skill or ability.
   - Simple: A task you do to get better at a skill.
   - _The textbook ends each chapter with practice exercises._
   - _She designed an exercise to build the team's trust._
5. An undertaking aimed at a particular purpose, frequently assessed by the results it produces.
   - Simple: Something people do to reach a certain goal, often judged by how well it works.
   - _Critics dismissed the senator's visit as a public relations exercise with little real substance._
   - _Without fresh data, the whole forecasting exercise was bound to fail._
6. An organized training operation in which military forces or emergency services rehearse their response to real events.
   - Simple: A planned practice event where soldiers or emergency workers train for real situations.
   - _Warships from six countries joined the naval exercises off the coast._
   - _The hospital staged a disaster exercise, with volunteers playing injured passengers._
7. The act of using a power, right, or ability, or of carrying out an office or duty.
   - Simple: The use of a power, right, or skill, or the doing of a job or duty.
   - _The exercise of authority requires both wisdom and restraint._
   - _Democracy depends on the regular exercise of voting rights._
9. A formal ceremony, such as a graduation, built around speeches and other planned parts; usually in the plural. *(US)*
   - Simple: A formal event with speeches and other planned parts, like a graduation.
   - _The college moved its graduation exercises indoors because of the storm._
   - _The mayor gave a short address at the academy's closing exercises._

## Verb

2. To make use of a right, option, or power, or to show a quality such as caution or restraint; to put it into practice.
   - Simple: To use a right, choice, or power you have, or to show a quality such as care.
   - _Shareholders exercised their right to block the merger._
   - _You should exercise caution when signing any contract._
4. To do physical activity for the sake of health or training.
   - Simple: To move your body to stay fit and healthy.
   - _Many people exercise to relieve stress as much as to lose weight._
   - _He exercises outdoors whenever the weather allows._
8. To put a person, an animal, or a part of the body or mind through activity or practice so that it becomes stronger, fitter, or more skilled.
   - Simple: To train a person, an animal, or a part of the body or mind to make it stronger.
   - _Reading widely exercises the imagination._
   - _The stable hands exercise the racehorses on the beach each morning before the heat sets in._
10. To occupy someone's attention and effort; to trouble, vex, or make anxious.
   - Simple: To worry someone or take up their energy and thoughts.
   - _Such doubts exercise even seasoned judges._
   - _She was deeply exercised by the news of the layoffs._

## Verb

11. To set something in action; to cause it to move or make exertion; to give it employment. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To put something into motion or make it work.

## Origin

Latin exercitium passed into Old French as exercise, and Middle English borrowed it in that form.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/exercise (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).