ENGLISH
REFERENCE

practiced

v.
B1 Intermediate US //ˈpɹæktəst// UK //pɹˈæktɪst// prac·ticed

v. to do something many times so that you become very good at it. You can use this for skills like playing music, speaking a language, or playing sports.

v. to perform an activity or exercise a skill repeatedly or regularly in order to acquire, improve, or maintain proficiency. Transitive when followed by a noun or gerund; intransitive when the activity is implied.


SIMPLE

She practiced the piano for two hours every day.

CONTEXTUAL

The legal team practiced their opening statements several times before the trial began to ensure they sounded confident.

COMPLEX

Although he had practiced the technique in a controlled environment, applying it during a high-stakes competition proved significantly more challenging than he had initially anticipated.

Synonyms
Usage

The verb is transitive and can be followed by a noun phrase or a gerund (the -ing form). In British English, the verb is spelled 'practise', while 'practice' is the noun.

Pitfall

He practiced to play the violinHe practiced playing the violinWhen followed by another verb, this word requires the gerund (-ing) form, not the infinitive.

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