Word family noun practice practitioner adjective practised/practiced practising/practicing verb practise/practice
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishpracticeprac‧tice /ˈpræktɪs/ ●●● S2 W1 noun 1 a skill [countable, uncountable] when you do a particular thing, often regularly, in order to improve your skill at it It takes hours of practice to learn to play the guitar. With a little more practice you should be able to pass your test. We have choir practice on Tuesday evening.in practice for something Schumacher crashed out in practice for the Australian grand prix.football/rugby/basketball etc practice John’s at baseball practice. ► In British English, the verb is always spelled practise (see separate entry). In American English, both noun and verb are spelled practice.2 → in practice3 something done often [countable, uncountable]WAY/MANNER something that people do often, especially a particular way of doing something or a social or religious custom religious beliefs and practices dangerous working practicesthe practice of doing something the practice of dumping waste into the sea► see thesaurus at habit4 doctor/lawyer [countable]BBC the work of a doctor or lawyer, or the place where they workmedical/legal practice Mary Beth had a busy legal practice in Los Angeles. → general practice, private practice5 → be common/standard/normal practice6 → good/best/bad practice7 → put something into practice8 → be out of practice9 → practice makes perfectCOLLOCATIONSverbsdo practiceHave you done your piano practice?take practice American English (=do practice)If he’d done badly, he’d go out and take extra batting practice.have some/more etc practice (=do practice)I’m not a very good dancer. I haven’t had enough practice.get some practiceYou must get as much practice as possible before the competition.need practiceShe needs more practice.something takes practice (=you can only learn to do it well by practising)Writing well takes practice.NOUN + practicefootball/basketball etc practiceDale was at football practice.piano/cello etc practiceI’ve got to do my cello practice.batting/catching etc practiceWe'd better do a bit of batting practice before the game.choir practiceThere's choir practice on Tuesday evening.band practiceHave you got band practice tonight?target practice (=practice shooting at something)The area is used by the army for target practice.teaching practiceYou have to do three months of teaching practice before you qualify. Examples from the Corpus
practice• the religious beliefs and practices of Hindus• Are you going to choir practice?• He earned this disputable title by his thoughtful approach to critical issues and the undeniable distinction of his critical practice.• This approach flies in the face of established practice.• I scored two goals at hockey practice tonight.• Secondly, while it wishes pupils to experience freedom, in practice it is easy for the teacher to determine the structure.• In practice, the student will necessarily miss some continuity because of days off and night duty.• Beyond that, everything else is essentially a context-specific attempt to put those few universal principles into practice.• You're getting better - you just need a little more practice.• There are only three more practices before the concert.• Doctors want to educate teenagers about unsafe sexual practices.• soccer practice• I try and get some practice in before classes.• One has to distinguish between the individual and the practice.• Stark said as we stood on the practice putting green of the Crieff Golf Club.• During the summer, the team has two practices a day.football/rugby/basketball etc practice• One day during basketball practice, she approached him.• The student was beaten outside the cafeteria while using the phone after a junior varsity football practice.the practice of doing something• It took me a while to adjust to the practice of eating with my bare hands.• A characteristic development in the boroughs was the practice of incorporation.• However, the practice of accounting is not, and probably can not be, objective in this sense.• It is his achievement to have related the medieval science of vision to the practice of sculpture and painting.• Similarly, the practice of global politics requires reform.• The Development Plans Project commends the practice of senior staff showing interest, making themselves accessible and joining meetings.• The rhetoric of socialism claims to enhance rights, but the practice of socialism invariably extinguishes and restricts peoples' rights.• To introduce the students to the practice of nursing. 2.• Under Anne, High Churchmen became preoccupied with trying to eradicate the practice of occasional conformity.medical/legal practice• I am now looking forward to applying this experience in the context of a legal practice.• That pattern changes gradually as medical practice and fashions change and as public demand changes.• This duty to disclose is not limited by medical practice, it is set by law.• The first exposes the limitations of modern medical practice, often exposing its claims to scientific status as dubious.• The Moniz medical practice was disrupted by demonstrators opposed to psychosurgery.• That question asks us to change our focus and consider our legal practice not in cross-section but over some stretch of time.• It is standard medical practice here not to tell the patient about potentially fatal illnesses, especially cancer.• Mitchelson has a successful medical practice in L.A.• Bill padding has become so endemic to legal practice that it is generally regarded as a joke.From Longman Business Dictionarypracticeprac‧tice /ˈpræktɪs/ noun1[uncountable] the work done by a particular profession, especially lawyers or doctors who are working for themselves rather than a public organizationMr. Barr returned to private law practice in the mid-1990s.She was formerly a staff attorney for a charity and is nowin practice in Washington.He left to go into private practice.2[countable] the business or place of work of a doctor, lawyer etc, or a group of doctors, lawyers etcthe problems of small accountancy practicesThey were partners in a general medical practice in central London.3[countable, uncountable] the way people do a particular job, activity etc, especially one which is done oftenJapanese management practicesIt was normal practice for hotels to require confirmation in writing.practice ofWhat will happen if the big banks continue their practice of closing smaller branches?4good/best practice a good example of how something should be doneThe Code reflects what the City considers to be best practice in the conduct of takeovers. 