MEANING
To apply or bring force, effort, influence, or authority to bear deliberately.
Use it for
Describe force or influence being deliberately applied.Applied pressure, effort, influence, or authority.
Words that belong together
- exert pressure
- exert influence
- exert effort
On the page
The captain exerted every scrap of authority he had left.
Nearby words
Opposite meanings
Word forms
- Base
- exert
- Past tense
- exerted
- Past participle
- exerted
- Present participle
- exerting
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- exert
- Present continuous
- am/is/are exerting
- Present perfect
- have/has exerted
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been exerting
- Past
- exerted
- Past continuous
- was/were exerting
- Past perfect
- had exerted
- Past perfect continuous
- had been exerting
- Future
- will exert
- Future continuous
- will be exerting
- Future perfect
- will have exerted
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been exerting
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
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Usage notes
Usually takes a direct object; exert means apply, while exertion names the effort itself.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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