practice
/ˈpræktɪs/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈpræktɪs/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈprak-təs/ (ame, mw) · /ˈpræk.tɪs/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈpræk.tɪs/ (ame, ipa)
practice — noun
- practicesingular
- practicesplural
1. repeating an activity many times so that you slowly become better at it; also a
repeating an activity many times so that you slowly become better at it; also a session set aside for this kind of repeated work, such as a piano lesson or team training.
Sofia needs more practice before her piano exam in June.
uncountable: more practice
Football practice starts at four and ends at six on weekdays.
compound: football practice
With daily practice, Marcus's Chinese has improved a lot this year.
The coach was angry because three players missed yesterday's practice.
Grandpa Wei hasn't played tennis for years, so he is a bit out of practice.
文法句型
practice for + activity
go to practice
用法筆記
Use uncountable when talking about the activity in general ('more practice'), countable when talking about a specific session ('today's practice'). Distinguish from sense 3: that sense names the workplace of a doctor or lawyer, not training.
常見錯誤
2. a way of behaving or doing something that a group of people follows again and ag
a way of behaving or doing something that a group of people follows again and again, treating it as normal or expected.
Tipping the waiter twenty percent is common practice in New York restaurants.
collocation: common practice
The Watanabe family follows the old practice of cleaning the house before the new year.
the practice of + -ing
Many farmers want to end the practice of burning fields after harvest.
It is standard practice at St. Mary's Hospital for nurses to check a patient's name twice.
- custom
often tied to culture or tradition
- habit
typically about one person, not a group
- convention
more formal; an unwritten social rule
文法句型
common practice
the practice of doing something
用法筆記
Often modified by 'common', 'standard', 'normal', 'best', or 'unfair'. Distinguish from sense 1 (training): this sense is about a custom or rule of behaviour, not about repeated drills to improve a skill.
常見錯誤
3. the work or office of a doctor, dentist, or lawyer, including the customers or p
the work or office of a doctor, dentist, or lawyer, including the customers or patients they regularly serve.
Dr. Tanaka set up a small dental practice on the corner of Park Street.
collocation: dental / medical / legal practice
After thirty years, the lawyer sold her practice to a younger partner.
The family doctor's practice is closed every Sunday and on public holidays.
Lina joined a busy medical practice with six other doctors last month.
文法句型
a [field] practice
set up / run a practice
用法筆記
Subject collocates are usually 'medical', 'dental', 'legal', 'group', 'private', or 'family'. Distinguish from sense 1 (training): you 'go to practice' for sport, but you 'go to a practice' (meaning a clinic) for a check-up.
常見錯誤
4. the activity of applying an idea, theory, skill, or method in real life through
the activity of applying an idea, theory, skill, or method in real life through hands-on action, rather than only studying or talking about it.
Maya wanted to put her management theories into practice at her new restaurant.
collocation: put [something] into practice
Sofia's nursing course mixes ten hours of lectures with twenty hours of practice in the hospital ward.
Marcus is good at writing safety rules, but weaker on the practice side.
Aunt Rosa wrote a careful budget on Sunday, but the practice in her noisy kitchen looked very different.
- application
more formal; emphasizes using a method or rule
- implementation
formal; the act of putting a plan into effect
- theory
the ideas behind an activity, not the activity itself
文法句型
in practice
put something into practice
用法筆記
Often paired with the verb 'put' in the fixed pattern 'put X into practice'. Distinguish from sense 5 ('in practice'), which is an adverbial phrase about reality, not about applying ideas.
常見錯誤
5. what really takes place in a situation, especially when it differs from what peo
what really takes place in a situation, especially when it differs from what people expected, planned, or said would happen.
On paper the new school fee rule sounds fair, but in practice it punishes poorer families.
fixed phrase: in practice (contrastive)
The new shortcut through Maple Street should save time, though in practice the morning bus is often late.
In theory every child gets a free meal; in practice, many schools run out of food.
BrightShop promises quick refunds, but in practice customers in Taipei wait for weeks.
- in reality
very close in meaning; slightly more general
- actually
adverb; used for the same contrast in less formal speech
文法句型
in practice
用法筆記
Almost always appears in the fixed phrase 'in practice', usually as a contrast with 'in theory', 'on paper', or a stated promise. Distinguish from sense 4: this sense describes a real outcome, not the act of applying something.
常見錯誤
6. the action of doing something on a regular basis, often used in the phrase 'make
the action of doing something on a regular basis, often used in the phrase 'make a practice of' to talk about a personal rule or routine.
Lina makes a practice of calling her grandmother every Sunday morning.
fixed pattern: make a practice of + -ing
Greenhill Primary does not make a practice of letting students leave early on Fridays.
Carlos has made a practice of saving ten percent of every paycheck.
The judge made a practice of arriving at the courtroom thirty minutes early.
文法句型
make a practice of doing something
用法筆記
Almost always inside the fixed pattern 'make a practice of + -ing'. Distinguish from sense 2: that sense names a group custom, while this one names a personal or institutional routine someone has chosen to follow.
常見錯誤
practice — verb
- practicepresent simple I / you / we / they
- practices3rd person singular
- practicing-ing form
- practicedpast simple
1. to do an action or activity many times, by yourself or with a teacher, so that y
to do an action or activity many times, by yourself or with a teacher, so that you slowly become better at it.
Sofia practices the violin for an hour before school every morning.
practice + noun (instrument)
The team practices passing and shooting on the field every Tuesday.
practice + -ing
Carlos wants to speak Spanish well, so he practices with his Mexican neighbour every Friday evening.
Marcus practiced his speech in front of the bathroom mirror three times.
The young actors practiced for the school play every afternoon last week.
文法句型
practice + noun
practice + -ing
practice for + event
用法筆記
In American English, both the noun and the verb are spelled 'practice'. In British English, the verb is 'practise' and the noun is 'practice'. Object can be a skill (the piano), an action (passing), or absent ('the team practices on Tuesdays').
常見錯誤
2. to work as a doctor, lawyer, or in another job that needs years of training and
to work as a doctor, lawyer, or in another job that needs years of training and an official licence.
Dr. Tanaka has practiced medicine in this town for over thirty years.
practice + medicine / law / dentistry
Lina passed the bar exam last summer and now practices law in Boston.
Carlos was not allowed to practice as a dentist after losing his licence.
After medical school, Maya chose to practice in a busy Chicago clinic rather than her quiet hometown.
- retire from
to stop practicing a profession
文法句型
practice + profession (law, medicine)
practice as + noun
用法筆記
Object is almost always 'law', 'medicine', 'dentistry', or another regulated profession. Subject is usually a person with formal qualifications. Often paired with 'as a doctor / lawyer / dentist' when the profession is not the object.
常見錯誤
3. to live by a religion, belief, or set of values by acting on it again and again
to live by a religion, belief, or set of values by acting on it again and again in daily life.
Maya's grandparents practice Buddhism and visit the temple every weekend.
practice + religion
Marcus practices kindness by carrying his neighbour's groceries up the stairs every Saturday.
practice + abstract noun (value)
Many people in this village still practice the old farming methods of their grandparents.
Mr. Lee practices honesty by telling his students when he gets a quiz answer wrong.
- abandon
to stop following a religion or tradition
文法句型
practice + religion / belief
practice + value
用法筆記
Object is usually a religion (Buddhism, Islam), a value (honesty, patience), or a tradition (old methods). Distinguish from sense 1 (training): here you are not getting better at something — you are simply living by it as a rule.