exercise
noun · verb
Simple meaning
Activity intended to improve physical, or sometimes mental, strength and fitness.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
ehksersyzSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈɛksɚsaɪz
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
countableuncountable
Activity intended to improve physical, or sometimes mental, strength and fitness.
countable
Any activity designed to develop or hone a skill or ability.
The performance of an office, ceremony, or duty.
A setting in action or practicing; employment in the proper mode of activity; exertion; application; use.
verb
intransitive
To perform physical activity for health or training.
To exert for the sake of training or improvement; to practice in order to develop.
transitive
To use (a right, an option, etc.); to put into practice.
now often passive voice
To occupy the attention and effort of; to task; to tax, especially in a painful or vexatious manner; harass; to vex; to worry or make anxious.
Do physical exercise
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A2 · Elementary
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Activity intended to improve physical, or sometimes mental, strength and fitness.
Used this way, exercise is a reasonably familiar word with a mildly favourable edge. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Slightly positive
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Moderate
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Positive and appreciative
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use exercise
- “The doctor recommended regular exercise.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
The activity of exerting your muscles in various ways to keep fit.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Sports equipment used in calisthenic exercises and weightlifting.
Several exercises intended to be done in series.
An exercise device resembling a stationary bike.
A device designed to provide exercise for the user.
Exercise designed to strengthen the arm muscles.
Exercise designed to strengthen the back muscles.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.