From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishin practicein practiceused when saying what really happens rather than what should happen or what people think happens In practice women receive much lower wages than their male colleagues. The journey should only take about 30 minutes, but in practice it usually takes more like an hour. → practice
Examples from the Corpus
in practice• In practice, the city's transportation system is very inefficient.• Teenagers are not allowed to drink in bars, but in practice they often do.• The law seemed like a good idea in theory, but in practice it has proved far too expensive.• Economic predictions are highly theoretical. It's what they mean in practice that is important. 