See Also: practise(dictionary)
practise(dictionary)

practise (iou)



practise verb. Also *practice. LME.
[Old & mod. French pra(c)tiser or medieval Latin practizare (Anglo-Latin practizans medical practitioner) alt. of practicare, from practica PRACTIC noun.]
verb trans. Perform, do, carry out. obsolete exc. as passing into sense 2. LME.
b. verb intrans. Go on with an activity; act, operate. (Foll. by upon.) Now rare. M16.
verb trans. Carry out or perform habitually or constantly; make a practice of; carry out in action (as opp. to believing, professing, etc.). LME.
H. Ellis 75 per cent of the inmates of the Parisian venereal hospitals have practised homosexuality. L. Mumford Instead of practicing poverty, chastity, and obedience. W. Plomer Not everybody practised what he preaches.
verb trans. & intrans. Work at, exercise, or pursue (a profession, occupation, etc., as law or medicine). Also, observe or pursue actively the teaching and duties of (a religion). LME.
T. Hardy He had practised gardening in his own plot for..many years. G. Stein He was a doctor who had just begun to practise. T. Benn There are unemployed teachers and nurses who cannot practise their professions. D. Madden Robert doesn't practise his religion any more.
b. verb intrans. Perform music. LME-L18.
verb trans. Put into practice, actually carry out (a law, command, etc.). LME-L18.
verb trans. & intrans. Perform (an action) repeatedly or continuously in order to acquire or maintain proficiency; exercise oneself in (a skill, art, etc.) for this purpose; (foll. by on a person) do this before another person as critic, audience, etc. LME.
V. Brittain We were practising tennis strokes against a brick wall. N. Sedaka I spent so much time practising, Mom had to bring my meals to the piano. Clothes Show Magazine We went north to practise our..floral wizardry on a few of those bright young Mancunians.
b. Exercise (someone) in an activity in order to make him or her proficient; train, drill. L16.
verb trans. Put to practical use; make use of, employ. LME-M18.
b. Frequent, haunt. M17-E18.
verb trans. Bring about, effect, accomplish. LME-M18.
b. Attempt (a thing); try (to do). LME-L17.
c. Devise means to bring about, plan; plot (an evil or unlawful act). M16-E18.
verb intrans. Scheme, plot, esp. for an evil purpose. (Foll. by with or against a person, to do a thing.) arch. M16.
verb intrans. Have dealings; negotiate or deal with a person, esp. in order to influence or win over. Now rare. M16.
b. verb trans. Persuade or influence (a person etc.) into some course of action, esp. an evil one; win over, corrupt. L16-E18.
verb intrans. Foll. by on, upon: perform a trick on, delude; persuade, esp. by artifice, to do or believe something; impose on. L16.
H. James I had not been practised upon by the servants, nor made the object of any 'game'.
verb trans. Try out, use experimentally. M17-E19.
verb trans. Construct. rare. M18-E19.
practised ppl adjective that has had practice; experienced, skilled, proficient: M16.
practising ppl adjective that practises; spec. (of a person) actively involved in or pursuing a profession, occupation, or religion: E17.