exercised

verb

past tense of exercise
1
as in exerted
to bring to bear especially forcefully or effectively a senator who consistently exercises his clout in Congress to get pork barrel projects for his state

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2
as in practiced
to do over and over so as to become skilled the only way to exercise your writing skills is to do more writing

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3
as in used
to put into action or service commended the firefighters for exercising really good judgment in that emergency

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in bothered
to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy the slightest change in travel plans is enough to get him all exercised

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of exercised Luu exercised call options to acquire 500 additional Tesla shares, taking on six figures in margin debt. — Sean Conlon, CNBC, 9 Oct. 2026 On each of those occasions, the governor’s office exercised its authority to prevent her release. — Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026 Some have embraced it, while others have exercised their right to not care and move on with their night. — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 6 Oct. 2026 The Navy also exercised options that extend DTB’s Mobile Mission Systems support. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 5 Oct. 2026 Whereas al-Khansaa had exercised coercive authority over other women as an enforcement and security unit, Khatiba Nusaybah was organized as a female military battalion. — Sara Harmouch, The Conversation, 1 Oct. 2026 Historically, immigration authorities exercised prosecutorial discretion to avoid arresting or deporting individuals with pending or approved SIJS applications. — Rebecca Gelpi-Ufret, ABC News, 29 Sep. 2026 These were exercised during CFT, and along with our expert flight control team, the manual control capabilities on Starliner were critical to achieving a safe docking despite numerous thruster failures. — Mike Wall, Space.com, 28 Sep. 2026 Voice had been exercised repeatedly at annual general meetings, say-on-pay revolts had forced concessions and proxy advisors had opposed management with escalating frequency. — Albana Vrioni, Forbes.com, 28 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for exercised
  1. exerted
  2. practiced
  3. used
  4. bothered
  5. applied
  6. utilized
  7. alarmed
  8. exploited
Verb
  • The effects of these publications were hardly only theoretical, as Italian anarchists exerted a powerful influence on labor strikes.
    — Ed Simon, JSTOR Daily, 7 Oct. 2026
  • The military has exerted pressure on those outside the country through their passports.
    — Andrew Nachemson, The Dial, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of exerted
Verb
  • We grow practiced at defending art by describing its return on investment.
    — Philip Martin, Arkansas Online, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Before taking its first real steps, PhoneBot practiced in a virtual world using reinforcement learning – essentially trial and error with a scorecard.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of practiced
Verb
  • The attacker used a pump-action shotgun bought by his mother, according to a law enforcement official briefed on the shooting.
    — HAVEN DALEY, Arkansas Online, 17 Oct. 2026
  • The shooter used a pump-action shotgun in yesterday's shooting, two law enforcement officials briefed on the case told NBC News.
    — Irene Byon, NBC news, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of used
Verb
  • This is a dense picture—there’s almost too much to unpack, if you can be bothered to care about any of it.
    — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Being different has never bothered Dublin coach Roger Holmes.
    — Jack Leo, AJC.com, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of bothered
Verb
  • Fundora found room for uppercuts inside and applied pressure through the middle rounds before delivering the decisive left in the final second.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 18 Oct. 2026
  • It must now be applied to those making products that could shape the future of humanity itself.
    — Giorgos Tsetis, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of applied
Verb
  • There is also an elevator, although it’s best utilized as a dumbwaiter for luggage and is not recommended for guest use.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 Oct. 2026
  • New processes like StoryCamera, StoryPerformance and StoryLighting have been created and were utilized in the several minutes of work-in-progress footage the panel showcased.
    — Abbey White, HollywoodReporter, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of utilized
Verb
  • The symptom that alarmed me most in that moment was the progressive skin wrinkling in some NCBRS teens.
    — Deepa Fernandes, STAT, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Those moves have alarmed Japan, whose economy is dependent for its survival on open sea lines and which recently has been embroiled in a spat with China over remarks that Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi made about Taiwan.
    — Andy Browne, semafor.com, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of alarmed
Verb
  • Their rackets—plunder, opium trafficking, and much else—were often run not by members of established yakuza gangs but by fixers and political operators who exploited their connections with the Imperial Japanese Army.
    — Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Our state definitely has major problems, which are exploited gleefully around each election cycle.
    — Daniel Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of exploited

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exercise
exercised
exerciser
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Cite this Entry

“Exercised.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exercised. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

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