Meaning & use
exert
Last updated
Meanings
verbtransitiveformal
To use power, influence, or force in order to affect something or someone.
Grammar: Takes an object such as influence, pressure, or force: exert pressure on the board.
Patterns
- exert influence on someone
- exert pressure on someone
- exert control over something
Large donors exert a lot of influence on the party.
The moon exerts a pull on the oceans, which causes tides.
Parents can exert pressure on a child without meaning to.
verbtransitive
To make yourself work hard, using a lot of physical or mental energy.
Grammar: Used with a reflexive pronoun: exert yourself.
Patterns
- exert yourself
- exert effort
The doctor told him not to exert himself for a few weeks.
She exerted herself to finish the report before the deadline.
You don't need to exert yourself; I can carry the box.
Word forms
| third person singular | exerts |
|---|---|
| past tense | exerted |
| past participle | exerted |
| -ing form | exerting |
Common combinations
- exert influence
- The media can exert enormous influence on public opinion.
- exert pressure
- Allies exerted pressure on the government to act.
- exert control
- He tried to exert control over every detail.
- exert yourself
- Don't exert yourself on a hot day.
- exert force
- The machine exerts great force on the metal.
Synonyms and how they differ
- apply
- Apply is more neutral and practical, as in apply pressure, while exert suggests more deliberate effort or strain.
- wield
- Wield suggests holding and using power like a tool, usually in a stronger, more visible way.
- use
- Use is the simple everyday verb and lacks the feeling of effort that exert carries.
- strain
- Strain stresses effort that goes to the point of tiredness or damage.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: exert or exact? exert or exhort?
exert vs exact
Exact as a verb means to demand and get something, such as a payment, while exert means to apply effort or influence.
exert vs exhort
Exhort means to urge someone strongly to do something, but exert is about applying force or effort yourself.
Practice
After his heart operation, the doctor warned him not to ____ himself for a month.
Choose one answer.
Exert yourself means to make a great physical effort. Exhaust yourself is possible in other contexts but the warning here uses the standard idiom exert yourself; exact and expect do not fit.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “exert”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.