From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishexerciseex‧er‧cise1 /ˈeksəsaɪz $ -ər-/ ●●● S2 W2 noun 1 for health [uncountable]DSOEXERCISE physical activities that you do in order to stay healthy and become stronger Try to fit some regular exercise into your daily routine. Working in an office, I don’t get much exercise.do/take exercise Most people need to do more exercise.gentle/light exercise Gentle exercise can be beneficial for older people.vigorous/strenuous exercise After the operation, you should avoid strenuous exercise.2 movement [countable]DSOEXERCISE a movement or set of movements that you do regularly to keep your body healthy stretching exercises You can do exercises to strengthen your stomach muscles.3 for a skill [countable usually plural]PRACTISE/PRACTICE an activity or process that helps you practise a particular skill relaxation exercises role-play exercises4 in a book [countable]SE a set of questions in a book that test a student’s knowledge or skill Do Exercises 3 and 4 on page 51 for homework.5 for a particular result [singular]RESULT an activity or situation that has a particular quality or result closing libraries as part of a cost-cutting exercise It’s a pointless exercise.exercise in Buying a house can be an exercise in frustration. 6 army/navy etc [countable, uncountable]PRACTISE/PRACTICE a set of activities for training soldiers etc a military exerciseon exercise Half the unit was away on exercise.7 → the exercise of somethingCOLLOCATIONS – Meaning 1: physical activities that you do in order to stay healthy and become strongerverbsdo some exercise (also take some exercise British English)He ought to do more exercise.He was advised by the doctor to take more exercise.get some exerciseI don’t get enough exercise.adjectivesgood exerciseSwimming is very good exercise for your muscles.regular/daily exerciseTaking regular exercise is the best way to improve your overall health.physical exercisePhysical exercise keeps you fit and helps to reduce stress.hard/strenuous/vigorous exercise (=involving a lot of physical effort)Pregnant women should avoid strenuous exercise.gentle/light/moderate exercise (=not involving too much physical effort)Try to do some gentle exercise as part of your daily routine.aerobic exercise (=in which you breathe deeply and your heart beats faster)Aerobic exercise, such as jogging or cycling, is a great way to burn off fat.phrasesa type/form of exerciseThis type of exercise is excellent for losing weight.lack of exerciseChildren are becoming overweight through lack of exercise.exercise + NOUNan exercise programme/routine/regime British English, an exercise program American English (=a plan that includes different types of exercise)The athletes follow an intensive exercise programme.I’m finding it quite hard to stick to my exercise routine.an exercise classI usually go to my exercise class on Wednesdays. COLLOCATIONS – Meaning 2: a movement or set of movements that you do regularly to keep your body healthyverbsdo an exercise (also perform an exercise formal)Try to do these exercises at least three days a week.ADJECTIVES/NOUN + exercisea basic exercise (=simple)He showed me some basic exercises for strengthening leg muscles.keep-fit exercisesI couldn’t get to the gym, so I did a few keep-fit exercises in my bedroom.a warm-up exerciseDo some warm-up exercises before lifting heavy weights.a yoga exerciseYoga exercises keep you supple.a breathing exerciseWe do breathing exercises in my yoga class.
Examples from the Corpus
exercise• For all the dieting and exercise that have been resorted to, often despairingly, they have in many cases gotten bigger.• Breathing exercises should be performed at the end of each training session.• Most people find it more fun doing exercises to music.• fingering exercises for the piano• They do not demand huge enclosures for exercise.• We were surprised to find that the plinths used for exercise and as tables during the day are their beds at night!• Try a few gentle exercises once or twice a day.• Let's walk. It'll be good exercise.• The master started me off slowly with some routine ground exercises.• a book of guitar exercises to improve finger flexibility• The readers at Grades 3-6 also include exercises at the end of each book to consolidate language work.• Thirty minutes of squash gives you as much exercise as an hour of any other game.• a naval exercise• The doctor recommended a diet and a programme of exercises to help her lose weight.• A new medical report has again highlighted the health benefits of regular exercise.• Do not start a programme of strenuous exercise if you have any heart problems.• a stretching exercise for my back• Repeat the exercise but kick with the front or rear leg as soon as the stance switches.• The exercises in Chapter 3 are helpful for students learning the future tense.• For the sake of this exercise, he would confine his research to sums which were lost due to insolvencies.get ... exercise• Maintaining a healthy weight, eating low-fat foods and getting regular exercise can reduce your risk.• A space in which you can do some simple exercises may also be useful if you have difficulty getting exercise out-of-doors.• Keeping weight down, getting exercise and eating the right foods are important to beauty as well as health.• As a result he gets more exercise and is generally fitter and healthier.• Stop for tea, read a magazine, or get some exercise.• Exercise Try to get some exercise during the flight to decrease stiffness and the possibilities of cramp and swollen ankles.• Sure, that would be the minimum benefit I would get from the exercises.• You get to exercise your intellect, your muscles, and your cardiovascular sys-tem all at the same time.do exercises• Then he did exercises he had learned in the Armystraddle jumps, deep knee bends, sit-ups and push-up.• For homework, do exercises 1 and 2.• And then in the morning I do exercises I can really put my, both feet in it.• I passed my time watching the inmates do exercises.• So you want to, to do exercises that give you fatigue in less than fifteen raps.• Each morning, after waking, he would do exercises for his stomach and back, family members said.exercise in• Fighting the rising waters was an exercise in futility.exerciseexercise2 ●●○ S3 W2 verb 1 use something [transitive] formalUSE something to use a power, right, or quality that you have There are plans to encourage people to exercise their right to vote. People who can exercise some control over their surroundings feel less anxious.2 do physical activity [intransitive]DSOEXERCISE to do sports or physical activities in order to stay healthy and become stronger It’s important to exercise regularly.3 use part of your body [transitive]DSOEXERCISE to make a particular part of your body move in order to make it stronger Swimming exercises all the major muscle groups.4 animal [transitive]HBHEXERCISE to make an animal walk or run in order to keep it healthy and strong people exercising their dogs in the park5 make somebody think [transitive] formalTHINK ABOUT a) to make someone think about a subject or problem and consider how to deal with it It’s an issue that’s exercised the minds of scientists for a long time. b) British English if something exercises someone, they think about it all the time and are very anxious or worried – often used humorously It was clear that Flavia had been exercised by this thought.THESAURUSexercise to walk, do sports etc in order to stay healthy and become strongerTo lose weight, exercise regularly and eat less.do some exercise/a lot of exercise etc this phrase is much more common than the verb exercise, and means the same thingHer doctor said that she needed to do more exercise.My son does very little exercise – I don’t know how he stays so slim. Dogs need lots of exercise.stay/keep/get in shape to stay or to become physically healthy and strong – used especially when you consider exercise as a way to keep a nice-looking bodyTry jogging with a friend who also wants to get in shape.keep fit British English to exercise regularly in order to stay healthy and strongThe class encourages older people to keep fit.work out to do exercise in order to be healthy and strong, especially to exercise regularly in a gym or exercise classHe works out three times a week.tone up (also firm up) to exercise in order to make your body or part of your body firmerI need to tone up my stomach and legs.warm up to do gentle exercises to prepare your body for more active exerciseIt’s important to warm up before you begin to play.stretch to reach your arms, legs, or body out to full length, in order to make your muscles as long as possible, so that you do not injure them when you exerciseJog for five minutes, then stretch before starting on your run.limber up (also loosen up) to do gentle exercises so that your muscles are warm and not tight before you begin a more active exerciseThe footballers were limbering up before a training session.train especially British English to prepare for a sporting event by exercising in a particular wayShe’s training to do the London Marathon.practise British English, practice American English to do a sports activity regularly, in order to get better and prepare for competitionThe team practices on Wednesdays and Saturdays. → See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
exercise• It is expenditure incurred under a new contract made when the option is exercised.• Mrs Edwina Currie was exercising a basic charm.• Karl exercises by playing racquetball twice a week.• You should exercise every day and get plenty of fresh air.• Our manager exercised her influence to get Rigby the position.• The Purchasing Manager in charge of a purchasing department exercises his responsibilities in close collaboration with other colleagues.• Genius is rare, and the chance to exercise it in a dance with others is rarer still.• The Congress must decide whether to exercise its veto or not.• They feel that the more control they can exercise over their surroundings, the safer life will be for them.• She fails to recognize that getting things done requires a different way of exercising power.• Even people who start exercising quite late in life notice considerable benefits.• Raise your knee to exercise the upper leg and hip.• Parents sometimes need to exercise their authority and say "no" to their children.• Many people are exercising their right to leave the state pension plan.• I exercise three times a week.• A lot of managers spend long hours in their cars and exercise very little.exercise ... control• During those hours there is no manifest intention to exercise any such control.• In fact, newspaper editors sometimes do not even exercise control over large sections of their newspapers.• The Bedford Area Guardians Committee continued to exercise control over matters great and small.• Senior management can exercise greater control over the activities of the organisation and coordinate their subordinates or sub-units more easily.• It seems clear therefore that the central administration was unable at this time to exercise effective financial control over the Forest wardens.• In retrospect I wish that 1 had been less careful of their prerogatives and had exercised control over their activities.• Sniffers may be able to exercise some control over their hallucinations and use them as part of group activities.• It has even been suggested that a member could exercise control with as little as one percent of the votes.From Longman Business Dictionaryexerciseex‧er‧cise /ˈeksəsaɪz-ər-/ verb [transitive]1formal exercise power/influence/a right etc to use your power, influence or a right that you haveShareholders were encouraged to exercise their right to vote.2FINANCE exercise an option to buy the property mentioned in an OPTIONThe seller is likely to exercise the option if the market value of the property is above the repurchase price. —exercise noun [singular]Shares will be allotted or transferred within 28 days of the exercise of an option.→ See Verb tableOrigin exercise1 (1300-1400) French exercice, from Latin exercitium, from exercere “to drive on, keep busy” 