exercise

English

Alternative forms

• exercize (obsolete)
• exercice (obsolete, noun senses only)

Etymology

From Middle English exercise, from Old French exercise, from Latin exercitium.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈɛk.sə.saɪz/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈɛk.sɚ.saɪz/
• Hyphenation: ex‧er‧cise

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Noun

exercise (countable and uncountable, plural exercises)

1. (countable) Any activity designed to develop or hone a skill or ability.

   The teacher told us that the next exercise is to write an essay.

   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book II, Canto VI”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 25:

     Where noyse of armes, or vew of martiall guize / Might not reuiue desire of knightly exercize.

   • 1693, [John Locke], “§178”, in Some Thoughts Concerning Education, London: […] A[wnsham] and J[ohn] Churchill, […], →OCLC:

     an exercise of the eyes and memory

2. (countable, uncountable) Activity intended to improve physical, or sometimes mental, strength and fitness.

   Swimming is good exercise.

   I like to do my exercises every morning before breakfast.

   I do crosswords for mental exercise.

   • 1910, Emerson Hough, chapter I, in The Purchase Price: Or The Cause of Compromise, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:

     This new-comer was a man who in any company would have seemed striking. […] He was smooth-faced, and his fresh skin and well-developed figure bespoke the man in good physical condition through active exercise, yet well content with the world's apportionment.

   • 2018, Timothy R. Jennings, The Aging Brain, →ISBN, page 107:

     Regular mental exercise keeps the circuits of the brain active and healthy and reduces the risk of dementia.

3. A setting in action or practicing; employment in the proper mode of activity; exertion; application; use.

   The law guarantees us the free exercise of our rights.

   • December 8, 1801, Thomas Jefferson, first annual message

     exercise of the important function confided by the constitution to the legislature

   • 1847, Alfred Tennyson, “(please specify the page number, or |part=Prologue, I to VII, or conclusion)”, in The Princess: A Medley, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC:

     O we will walk this world, / Yoked in all exercise of noble end.

4. The performance of an office, ceremony, or duty.

   I assisted the ailing vicar in the exercise of his parish duties.

   • 1705, J[oseph] Addison, Remarks on Several Parts of Italy, &c. in the Years 1701, 1702, 1703, London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:

     Lewis […] refused even those of the church of England […] the public exercise of their religion.

   • c. 1593 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Richard the Third: […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene vii]:

     He doth entreat your Grace, my noble lord, To visit him tomorrow or next day. To draw him from his holy exercise.

5. (obsolete) That which gives practice; a trial; a test.
   • 1671, John Milton, “Samson Agonistes, […].”, in Paradise Regain’d. A Poem. In IV Books. To which is Added, Samson Agonistes, London: […] J[ohn] M[acock] for John Starkey […], →OCLC, page 77:

     But patience is more oft the exerciſe / Of Saints, the trial of thir fortitude,

Derived terms

• Brandt-Daroff exercise
• compound exercise
• exercise ball
• exercise bicycle
• exercise bike
• exercise bone
• exercise book
• exercise bulimia
• exercise cycle
• exercise for the reader
• exercise in futility
• exercise machine
• exercise price
• exercise regime
• exercise track
• exercise wheel
• five-finger exercise
• five finger exercise
• floor exercise
• free-exercise clause
• in-basket exercise
• in-tray exercise
• low exercise price option
• manual exercise
• military exercise
• rebound exercise
• run for the exercise
• training exercise
• vacuum exercise

 

Related terms

English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₂erk- (0 c, 10 e)

Translations

any activity designed to develop or hone a skill or ability

• Albanian: ushtrim (sq) m
• Arabic: تَمْرِين m (tamrīn), تَدْرِيب m (tadrīb)
• Armenian: վարժություն (hy) (varžutʻyun)
• Azerbaijani: məşq (az), təmrin, çalışma (az), təlim (az)
• Belarusian: практыкава́нне n (praktykavánnje)
• Bengali: please add this translation if you can
• Bulgarian: упражне́ние (bg) n (upražnénie)
• Burmese: လေ့ကျင့်ခန်း (my) (le.kyang.hkan:)
• Catalan: exercici (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 練習／练习 (lin⁶ zaap⁶)

  Mandarin: 練習／练习 (zh) (liànxí)

• Czech: cvičení (cs) n
• Danish: øvelse (da) c
• Dutch: oefening (nl) f
• Esperanto: ekzerco
• Estonian: harjutus
• Finnish: harjoitus (fi), harjoittelu (fi)
• French: exercice (fr) m
• Galician: exercicio (gl) m
• Georgian: ვარჯიში (varǯiši), სავარჯიშო (savarǯišo)
• German: Übung (de) f
• Greek: άσκηση (el) f (áskisi)

  Ancient: ἄσκησις f (áskēsis), μελέτημα n (melétēma)

• Hebrew: תַּרְגִּיל (he) m (targíl)
• Hindi: व्यायाम (hi) m (vyāyām), अभ्यास (hi) m (abhyās), रियाज़ f (riyāz)
• Hungarian: gyakorlat (hu), feladat (hu), (uncountable sense) gyakorlás (hu)
• Icelandic: æfing (is) f
• Indonesian: latihan (id)
• Ingrian: upražnenja
• Japanese: 練習 (ja) (れんしゅう, renshū)
• Kazakh: жаттығу (jattyğu)
• Khmer: ការិយកម្ម (km) (kaareyaʼkam), ការិយកិច្ច (kaareyaʼkəc)
• Korean: 연습(練習) (ko) (yeonseup), 련습(練習) (ko) (ryeonseup) (North Korea)
• Kurdish:

  Northern Kurdish: temrîn (ku)

• Kyrgyz: көнүгүү (ky) (könügüü), машыгуу (ky) (maşıguu)
• Lao: ບົດເຝິກຫັດ (bot fœk hat)
• Latin: exercitātiō f, exercitium n
• Latvian: uzdevums m, vingrinājums m
• Ligurian: esercìçio m
• Lithuanian: uždavinys m, pratimas m
• Macedonian: вежба f (vežba)
• Malay: latihan (ms), latih tubi
• Malayalam: അഭ്യാസം (ml) (abhyāsaṁ)
• Mongolian:

  Cyrillic: дасгал (mn) (dasgal)

• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: øvelse m, øving m or f

  Nynorsk: øving f

• Pashto: مشق m (mašq), تمرين (ps) m (tamrín)
• Persian:

  Iranian Persian: تَمْرین (fa) (tamrin), مَشْق (fa) (mašğ), اِگْزِرْسیز (egzersiz) (dated)

• Polish: ćwiczenie (pl) n
• Portuguese: exercício (pt) m
• Romanian: exercițiu (ro) n
• Russian: упражне́ние (ru) n (upražnénije) (a specific exercise), трениро́вка (ru) f (treniróvka), пра́ктика (ru) f (práktika)
• Scottish Gaelic: eacarsaich f
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: ве̏жба f, вје̏жба f, пра̏кса f

  Roman: vȅžba (sh) f, vjȅžba (sh) f, prȁksa (sh) f

• Slovak: cvičenie n
• Slovene: vaja f, vadba f
• Spanish: ejercicio (es) m
• Swahili: mazoezi (sw)
• Swedish: övning (sv) c, uppgift (sv) c
• Tagalog: pagsasanay (tl)
• Tajik: машқ (mašq)
• Thai: แบบฝึกหัด (th) (bɛ̀ɛp-fʉ̀k-hàt)
• Turkish: egzersiz (tr), temrin (tr)
• Turkmen: maşk
• Ukrainian: впра́ва (uk) f (vpráva)
• Urdu: مَشْق f (maśq), مَشّاقی f (maśśāqī), تَمْرِین f (tamrīn)
• Uyghur: مەشق (meshq)
• Uzbek: mashq (uz)
• Vietnamese: luyện tập (vi) (練習)
• Walloon: egzercice (wa) m

physical activity intended to improve strength and fitness

• Arabic: تَمْرِين m (tamrīn)
• Armenian: վարժություն (hy) (varžutʻyun)
• Belarusian: зара́дка f (zarádka), трэніро́ўка f (treniróŭka)
• Bengali: ব্যায়াম (bn) (bêẏam)
• Bulgarian: трениро́вка (bg) f (treniróvka)
• Burmese: လေ့ကျင့်ခန်း (my) (le.kyang.hkan:)
• Catalan: exercici (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 運動／运动 (wan⁶ dung⁶)

  Mandarin: 運動／运动 (zh) (yùndòng)

• Czech: cvičení (cs) n
• Dutch: lichaamsbeweging (nl) f
• Esperanto: ekzerco
• Estonian: harjutus
• Finnish: kuntoilu (fi), liikunta (fi), treeni (fi), harjoitus (fi), harjoittelu (fi), jumppa (fi), voimailu (fi)
• French: exercice (fr) m
• Georgian: ვარჯიში (varǯiši)
• German: Übung (de) f (a specific exercise), Training (de) n, Sport (de) m (general exercising)
• Gothic: 𐌿𐍃𐌸𐍂𐍉𐌸𐌴𐌹𐌽𐍃 f (usþrōþeins)
• Greek: γυμναστική (el) f (gymnastikí)

  Ancient: γυμνάσια n pl (gumnásia), σωμασκία f (sōmaskía)

• Hebrew: תַּרְגִּיל (he) m (targíl)
• Hindi: वर्ज़िश f (varziś), कसरत (hi) f (kasrat), व्यायाम (hi) m (vyāyām)
• Hungarian: edzés (hu), torna (hu), mozgás (hu), testmozgás (hu), testgyakorlás (hu)
• Indonesian: latihan (id), olahraga (id)
• Italian: esercizio (it) m
• Japanese: 運動 (ja) (うんどう, undō), 体操 (ja) (たいそう, taisō), 体育 (ja) (たいいく, taiiku), エクササイズ (ekusasaizu)
• Kazakh: жаттығу (jattyğu)
• Korean: 운동(運動) (ko) (undong)
• Latin: exercitātiō f, exercitium n
• Latvian: vingrojums m, vingrinājums m
• Ligurian: esercìçio m
• Lithuanian: pratimas m, mankšta f
• Macedonian: ве́жба f (véžba)
• Malay: senaman (ms)
• Malayalam: വ്യായാമം (ml) (vyāyāmaṁ)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: mosjon m, øvelse m, øving m or f

  Nynorsk: mosjon m, øving f

• Persian:

  Iranian Persian: وَرْزِش (fa) (varzeš)

• Polish: ćwiczenie (pl) n
• Portuguese: exercício (pt)
• Punjabi: ਵਰਜ਼ਸ਼ f (varzaś)
• Romanian: exercițiu (ro) n
• Russian: упражне́ние (ru) n (upražnénije) (a specific exercise), заря́дка (ru) f (zarjádka), физзаря́дка (ru) f (fizzarjádka), трениро́вка (ru) f (treniróvka)
• Scottish Gaelic: eacarsaich f
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: ве̏жба f, вје̏жба f

  Roman: vȅžba (sh) f, vjȅžba (sh) f

• Sinhalese: ව්‍යායාමය (wyāyāmaya)
• Slovak: cvičenie n
• Slovene: gibanje (sl) n, vadba f
• Spanish: ejercicio (es)
• Swahili: mazoezi (sw)
• Swedish: träning (sv) c
• Tajik: машқ (mašq), варзиш (tg) (varziš)
• Thai: การออกกำลังกาย (th) (gaan-ɔ̀ɔk-gam-lang-gaai)
• Turkish: egzersiz (tr)
• Ukrainian: впра́ва (uk) f (vpráva), заря́дка f (zarjádka), тренува́ння n (trenuvánnja)
• Urdu: وَرْزِش (ur) f (varziś), کسرت (kasrat), رِیاضَت (riyāzat)
• Vietnamese: vận động (vi) (運動), thể dục (vi) (體育)
• Volapük: koapaskilükam
• Welsh: ymarfer (cy) m or f

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Indonesian: ^{(please verify)} latihan (id)

Verb

exercise (third-person singular simple present exercises, present participle exercising, simple past and past participle exercised)

1. To exert for the sake of training or improvement; to practice in order to develop.

   to exercise troops or horses;  to exercise one's brain with a puzzle

2. (intransitive) To perform physical activity for health or training.

   I exercise at the gym every day.

3. (transitive) To use (a right, an option, etc.); to put into practice.

   The tenant exercised his option to renew the tenancy.

   She is going to exercise her right to vote.

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Ezekiel 22:29:

     The people of the land haue vsed oppression, and exercised robbery, and haue vexed the poore and needie: yea, they haue oppressed the stranger wrongfully.

4. (now often in passive) 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.

   exercised with pain

   • 1667, John Milton, “Book II”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC, lines 88–89:

     Where pain of unextinguiſhable fire / Muſt exerciſe us without hope of end

5. (obsolete) To set in action; to cause to act, move, or make exertion; to give employment to.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Acts 24:16:

     And herein doe I exercise my selfe to haue alwayes a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men.

   • 1914 November, Louis Joseph Vance, “An Outsider […]”, in Munsey’s Magazine, volume LIII, number II, New York, N.Y.: The Frank A[ndrew] Munsey Company, […], published 1915, →OCLC, chapter I (Anarchy), page 373, column 2:

     Little disappointed, then, she turned attention to "Chat of the Social World," gossip which exercised potent fascination upon the girl's intelligence.

Derived terms

• exercised (adj.)
• exerciser
• exercise the ferret
• exercising (n.)
• unexercised

 

Translations

exert for the sake of training

• Arabic: تَمَرَّنَ (tamarrana)

  Egyptian Arabic: اتمرن m (etmarran)

• Armenian: մարզել (hy) (marzel)
• Belarusian: практыкава́цца impf (praktykavácca), трэнірава́цца impf (treniravácca)
• Bulgarian: упражня́вам се (upražnjávam se) , трени́рам (bg) (treníram)
• Burmese: လေ့ကျင့် (my) (le.kyang.)
• Catalan: exercitar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 練習／练习 (zh) (liànxí), 運動／运动 (zh) (yùndòng), 做運動／做运动 (zuò yùndòng), 進行演習／进行演习 (jìnxíng yǎnxí), 鍛鍊／锻炼 (zh) (duànliàn)

• Czech: cvičit (cs)
• Dutch: trainen (nl), oefenen (nl)
• Esperanto: ekzerci
• Estonian: õppus
• Finnish: harjoitella (fi), harjoittaa (fi), kuntoilla (fi), treenata (fi), jumpata (fi), päntätä (fi), opetella (fi)
• French: exercer (fr)
• Georgian: please add this translation if you can
• German: üben (de), trainieren (de)
• Greek:

  Ancient: ἀσκέω (askéō)

• Haitian Creole: egzèse
• Hungarian: gyakorol (hu)
• Irish: aclaigh
• Italian: esercitare (it)
• Japanese: 練習する (ja) (れんしゅうする, renshū-suru)
• Khmer: ហាត់ (km) (hat)
• Korean: 연습하다 (ko) (yeonseuphada)
• Lao: ຝຶກ (fưk), ຫັດ (hat)
• Latin: exercitō
• Latvian: vingrot, vingrināt
• Macedonian: вежба (vežba)
• Mongolian: дасгал хийх (dasgal xiix)
• Norwegian: trene (no)
• Polish: ćwiczyć (pl)
• Portuguese: exercitar-se
• Quechua: amañay (qu)
• Russian: упражня́ться (ru) (upražnjátʹsja), тренирова́ться (ru) (trenirovátʹsja), практикова́ться (ru) (praktikovátʹsja)
• Slovak: cvičiť impf
• Spanish: ejercitar (es)
• Swedish: öva (sv), träna (sv), praktisera (sv)
• Thai: ฝึก (th) (fʉ̀k), หัด (hàt), ฝึกหัด (th) (fʉ̀k-hàt)
• Ukrainian: вправля́тися impf (vpravljátysja), практикува́тися impf (praktykuvátysja), тренува́тися impf (trenuvátysja)
• Vietnamese: luyện tập (vi) (練習), tập (vi)) (習)

perform physical activity

• Armenian: մարզել (hy) (marzel), պարապել (hy) (parapel)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 鍛鍊／锻炼 (zh) (duànliàn), 鍛鍊身體／锻炼身体 (duànliàn shēntǐ), 健身 (zh) (jiànshēn)

• Danish: motionere
• Dutch: sporten (nl), bewegen (nl)
• Finnish: kuntoilla (fi), harjoitella (fi), treenata (fi), jumpata (fi), voimistella (fi), voimailla
• German: sich bewegen
• Hungarian: tornázik (hu), mozog (hu), edz (hu), testmozgást/testgyakorlást végez
• Icelandic: hreyfa sig
• Irish: aclaigh, déan aclaíocht
• Italian: esercitarsi (it), allenarsi (it)
• Polish: ćwiczyć (pl)
• Spanish: hacer ejercicio
• Swedish: motionera (sv)

use; put into practice

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Dutch: uitoefenen (nl), gebruikmaken (nl)
• Finnish: käyttää (fi), ottaa käyttöön, hyödyntää (fi)
• Hungarian: gyakorol (hu), él (hu)
• Irish: cuir i bhfeidhm
• Italian: esercitare (it), avvalersi (it), mettere in pratica
• Polish: wykorzystać (pl), skorzystać (pl), wykonać (pl)
• Portuguese: exercer (pt)
• Swedish: utöva (sv)
• Ukrainian: практикува́ти impf (praktykuváty)

occupy the attention and effort of

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Dutch: kwellen (nl), lastigvallen (nl)
• Finnish: vaivata (fi), rasittaa (fi)
• Hungarian: próbára tesz (hu), igénybe vesz (hu)
• Swedish: ansätta (sv), sätta på prov

take action, enforce

• Bulgarian: упражня́вам (bg) (upražnjávam)
• Catalan: exercir (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Esperanto: ekzerci
• Finnish: käyttää (fi)
• French: exercer (fr)
• Haitian Creole: egzèse
• Hungarian: gyakorol (hu), érvényesít (hu), érvényre juttat (hu)
• Italian: impiegare (it)
• Latvian: izmantot, realizēt
• Polish: użyć władzy
• Portuguese: agir (pt), proceder (pt)
• Russian: испо́льзовать (ru) (ispólʹzovatʹ), реализо́вывать (ru) (realizóvyvatʹ)
• Spanish: ejercer (es)
• Swedish: utnyttja (sv)
• Ukrainian: зді́йснювати (uk) (zdíjsnjuvaty)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• French: ^{(please verify)} exercer (fr)
• Hungarian: ^{(please verify)} edz (hu)
• Portuguese: ^{(please verify)} incitar (pt)

See also

• train
• work out

 

See also

• exorcise

 

Further reading

• “exercise”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “exercise”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.