practise English
Alternative forms
* practice (standard for noun but incorrect for verb outside US; almost universal for both in American English)
Verb
( practis)
(transitive, British, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland) To repeat as a way of improving one's skill in that activity.
- You should practise playing piano every day.
(intransitive, British, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland) To repeat an activity in this way.
- If you want to speak French well, you need to practise .
(transitive, British, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland) To perform or observe in a habitual fashion.
- They gather to practise religion every Saturday.
(transitive, British, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland) To pursue (a career, especially law, fine art or medicine).
- She practised law for forty years before retiring.
(intransitive, obsolete, British, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland) To conspire.
To put into practice; to carry out; to act upon; to commit; to execute; to do.
* Shakespeare
- Aught but Talbot's shadow whereon to practise your severity.''
* Alexander Pope
- As this advice ye practise or neglect.
To make use of; to employ.
* Massinger
- In malice to this good knight's wife, I practised Ubaldo and Ricardo to corrupt her.
To teach or accustom by practice; to train.
* Landor
- In church they are taught to love God; after church they are practised to love their neighbour.
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
Derived terms
* practised
* practising
Related terms
* practic
* practicable
* practical
* practice
* practitioner
External links
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Anagrams
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pursue English
Verb
( pursu)
(obsolete) To follow with harmful intent; to try to harm, to persecute, torment.
To follow urgently, originally with intent to capture or harm; to chase.
* Wyclif Bible, John xv. 20
- The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have pursued' me, they shall ' pursue you also.
* 2009 , Martin Chulov, ‘Iraqi shoe-thrower claims he suffered torture in jail’, The Guardian , 15 Sep 09:
- He now feared for his life, and believed US intelligence agents would pursue him.
To follow, travel down (a particular way, course of action etc.).
- Her rival pursued a quite different course.
To aim for, go after (a specified objective, situation etc.).
* 2009 , Benjamin Pogrund, ‘Freeze won't hurt Netanyahu’, The Guardian , 1 Dec 09:
- He even stands to gain in world terms: his noisy critics strengthen his projected image of a man determined to pursue peace with Palestinians.
To participate in (an activity, business etc.); to practise, follow (a profession).
See also
* follow
* chase
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