# exert

/ɪɡˈzɝt/ (US) · /ɛɡzˈɜːt/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/exert
Updated: 2026-08-08

## Senses

### 1. to apply influence or pressure

verb · CEFR C1 · Academic

to use your power, influence, or authority to achieve a result.

For teachers: to bring a quality, such as influence or authority, to bear on a situation. Transitive — requires a direct object representing the force applied.

- The local council began to exert pressure on the company to clean up the park.
- The central bank may exert significant influence over the national economy by adjusting interest rates during periods of high inflation.

Usage: Commonly collocates with 'pressure', 'influence', 'authority', or 'control'.

### 3. to work very hard

verb · CEFR C1 · Formal

to make a very big mental or physical effort to do something.

For teachers: to put oneself into vigorous action or to make a strenuous effort. Reflexive — always used with a reflexive pronoun like 'himself' or 'themselves'.

- She had to exert herself to finish the long race in the heat.
- The researchers exerted themselves to meet the grant deadline, working through the weekend to finalise their findings.

Usage: Requires a reflexive pronoun (myself, yourself, etc.) followed by a 'to' infinitive.

## Examples

- You must exert more pressure to open the heavy door.
- The local council began to exert its influence to ensure the new park remained a green space.
- While the moon is much smaller than the sun, its proximity allows it to exert a greater gravitational pull on the Earth's oceans, driving the tidal cycles.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.