January 1, 2012 - Word of the Day: practice

To practice something is to do it over and over again in order to learn a new skill or gain knowledge. If you do something every day, or if you do something frequently, you naturally become good at that activity--whatever it is that you choose to do. It could be cooking, playing the piano, driving a truck, or speaking and writing in English. This is a good word to start off a new year.

• How many hours a day do you practice your English?
• Maria practices speaking English every day in class.
• Abadi practices English by going online.
• Children who practice a musical instrument regularly can become quite good at it by the time they are adolescents.
• Practice makes perfect. (This is a popular expression in the United States.)

You can also use the word "practice" as a verb or as noun when describing what a doctor does:

• Dr. Singh opened a general practice in our neighborhood.
• He has been practicing medicine for the last ten years.

Click here to go to the Word of the Day page.