Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner's English Dictionary - exercise

(exercises, exercising, exercised) Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English. 1. If you exercise something such as your authority, your rights, or a good quality, you use it or put it into effect. (FORMAL) They are merely exercising their right to free speech... Britain has warned travellers to exercise prudence and care. VERB: V n, V n • Exercise is also a noun. ...the exercise of political and economic power... Leadership does not rest on the exercise of force alone. N-SING: N of n 2. When you exercise, you move your body energetically in order to get fit and to remain healthy. She exercises two or three times a week... Exercising the body does a great deal to improve one’s health. VERB: V, V n • Exercise is also a noun. Lack of exercise can lead to feelings of depression and exhaustion... N-UNCOUNT 3. If a movement or activity exercises a part of your body, it keeps it strong, healthy, or in good condition. They call rowing the perfect sport. It exercises every major muscle group. VERB: V n 4. Exercises are a series of movements or actions which you do in order to get fit, remain healthy, or practise for a particular physical activity. I do special neck and shoulder exercises... N-COUNT: usu pl 5. Exercises are military activities and operations which are not part of a real war, but which allow the armed forces to practise for a real war. General Powell predicted that in the future it might even be possible to stage joint military exercises... N-COUNT: usu pl, also on N 6. An exercise is a short activity or piece of work that you do, for example in school, which is designed to help you learn a particular skill. Try working through the opening exercises in this chapter... N-COUNT 7. If you describe an activity as an exercise in a particular quality or result, you mean that it has that quality or result, especially when it was not intended to have it. As an exercise in stating the obvious, this could scarcely be faulted... Think what a waste of taxpayers’ money the whole exercise was. N-COUNT: usu sing, usu N in n/-ing 8. If something exercises you or your mind, you think or talk about it a great deal, especially because you are worried or concerned about it. This has been a major problem exercising the minds of scientists around the world... VERB: V n