practice

The noun is from Middle English practice, practique, practyse, from the verb; also compare Medieval Latin prāctica.

The verb is from Middle English practice, practise, practize, practyse, from Middle French pratiser, practiser, alteration of practiquer, from Medieval Latin prācticāre, from Late Latin prācticus, from Ancient Greek πρακτικός (praktikós).

The spelling practice is attested once in Middle English for both the noun and the verb. The noun began to be assimilated in spelling to nouns in -ice; practise (noun) is now obsolete.

• IPA^(key): /ˈpɹæktɪs/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æktɪs

practice (usually uncountable, plural practices)

1. Repetition of an activity to improve a skill.

   Synonyms: rehearsal, drill, dry run, exercise, training, trial, workout

   He will need lots of practice with the lines before he performs them.

2. An organized event for the purpose of performing such repetition.

   Being on a team is hard: you're always having to go to practice while everyone else is taking it easy.

   I have choir practice every Sunday after church.

3. (uncountable, especially medicine, art) The ongoing pursuit of a craft or profession, particularly in medicine or the fine arts.
   • 2016, Raphael Vella, Artist-Teachers in Context: International Dialogues, Springer, →ISBN, page 53:

     Which is the most demanding? I think that my practice as an artist is 'stronger' because it is the practice that best fuels and balances myself and that generates new knowledge for my other work as both arts educator and creative arts therapist.

4. (countable) A place where a professional service is provided, such as a general practice.

   Synonym: general practice

   She ran a thriving medical practice.

5. The observance of religious duties that a church requires of its members.
6. A customary action, habit, or behaviour; a manner or routine.

   Synonyms: custom, habit, pattern, routine, wont, wone

   It is the usual practice of employees there to wear neckties only when meeting with customers.

   It is good practice to check each door and window before leaving.

   • 1954 August, J. B. Snell, “The New Zealand Government Railways—2”, in Railway Magazine, page 558:

     As a result, New Zealand locomotive design is a curious blend of English and American practice; certainly the American influence has always been much stronger than in Australia.

7. Actual operation or experiment, in contrast to theory.

   Antonym: theory

   That may work in theory, but will it work in practice?

8. (law) The form, manner, and order of conducting and carrying on suits and prosecutions through their various stages, according to the principles of law and the rules laid down by the courts.

   This firm of solicitors is involved in family law practice.

9. Skilful or artful management; dexterity in contrivance or the use of means; stratagem; artifice.
   • a. 1587, Philippe Sidnei , “(please specify the folio)”, in , editors, The Countesse of Pembrokes Arcadia , London: ">…] for William Ponsonbie, published 1590, →OCLC:

     He sought to have that by practice which he could not by prayer.

10. (mathematics) An easy and concise method of applying the rules of arithmetic to questions which occur in trade and business.

• British, Australian, and New Zealand English spelling distinguishes between practice (noun) and practise (verb), analogously with advice/advise. In American English, the spelling practice is commonly used for both noun and verb. Both practices are found equally in Canadian English.

• practise (obsolete)

practice (third-person singular simple present practices, present participle practicing, simple past and past participle practiced)

1. (now US) Alternative spelling of practise.
   • 1814 May 9, , chapter III, in Mansfield Park: , volume I, London: ">…] for T Egerton, , →OCLC, page 57:

     I have been a liberal housekeeper enough, but I shall not be ashamed to practice economy now.

• “practice”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• practice in Britannica Dictionary
• practice in Macmillan Collocations Dictionary
• practice in Ozdic collocation dictionary
• practice in WordReference English Collocations
• practice on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key):
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key):

prāctice

1. vocative masculine singular of prācticus