Lexis Rex Home



English Sentence Analyser

Use this page to analyse and learn English text. You can copy text into the box below or get a random sentence from our database. Press the Analyse button to get translations of the text and words.




an
     1. art. Form of a used before a vowel sound
     2. art. (now quite rare) Form of a used before 'h' in an unstressed syllable
     3. art. (nonstandard) Form of a used before 'h' in a stressed syllable
     4. conj. (archaic) If
     5. conj. (archaic) So long as.
           An it harm none, do what ye will.
     6. conj. (archaic) As if; as though.
     7. n. The first letter of the Georgian alphabet, ა (Mkhedruli), Ⴀ (Asomtavruli) or ⴀ (Nuskhuri).
     8. prep. In each; to or for each; per.
           I was only going twenty miles an hour.
intense
     1. adj. Strained; tightly drawn.
     2. adj. Strict, very close or earnest.
           intense study;  intense thought
     3. adj. Extreme in degree; excessive.
     4. adj. Extreme in size or strength.
     5. adj. Stressful and tiring.
     6. adj. Very severe.
     7. adj. Very emotional or passionate.
           The artist was a small, intense man with piercing blue eyes.
stabbing
     1. adj. (of pain) sharp, intense
           Too much running gives me a stabbing pain in the chest.
     2. n. An incident in which a person is stabbed.
           A stabbing took place in the alley last night.
           The hospital receives many victims of stabbings.
     3. v. present participle of stab
     stab
          1. n. An act of stabbing or thrusting with an object.
          2. n. A wound made by stabbing.
          3. n. Pain inflicted on a person's feelings.
          4. n. (informal) An attempt.
                I'll give this thankless task a stab.
          5. n. Criticism.
          6. n. (music) A single staccato chord that adds dramatic impact to a composition.
                a horn stab
          7. n. A bacterial culture made by inoculating a solid medium, such as gelatin, with the puncture of a needle or wire.
          8. v. To pierce or to wound (somebody) with a pointed tool or weapon, especially a knife or dagger.
                If you stab him in the heart he won't live long enough to retaliate.
          9. v. To thrust in a stabbing motion.
                to stab a dagger into a person
          10. v. (intransitive) To recklessly hit with the tip of a pointed object, such as a weapon or finger (often used with at).
                He stabbed at my face with the twig but luckily kept missing my eyes.
          11. v. (intransitive) To cause a sharp, painful sensation (often used with at).
                The snow from the blizzard was stabbing at my face as I skied down the mountain.
          12. v. (transitive, figurative) To injure secretly or by malicious falsehood or slander.
                to stab a person's reputation
          13. v. To roughen a brick wall with a pick so as to hold plaster.
          14. v. To pierce folded sheets, near their back edges, for the passage of thread or wire.
pain
     1. n. An ache or bodily suffering, or an instance of this; an unpleasant sensation, resulting from a derangement of functions, disease, or injury by violence; hurt.
           The greatest difficulty lies in treating patients with chronic pain.
           I had to stop running when I started getting pains in my feet.
     2. n. The condition or fact of suffering or anguish especially mental, as opposed to pleasure; torment; distress
           In the final analysis, pain is a fact of life.
           The pain of departure was difficult to bear.
     3. n. (from pain in the neck) An annoying person or thing.
           Your mother is a right pain.
     4. n. (obsolete) Suffering inflicted as punishment or penalty.
           You may not leave this room on pain of death.
     5. n. Labour; effort; pains.
     6. v. To hurt; to put to bodily uneasiness or anguish; to afflict with uneasy sensations of any degree of intensity; to torment; to torture.
           The wound pained him.
     7. v. To render uneasy in mind; to disquiet; to distress; to grieve.
           It pains me to say that I must let you go.
     8. v. (transitive, obsolete) To inflict suffering upon as a penalty; to punish.
     9. n. (obsolete, cooking) Any of various breads stuffed with a filling.
           gammon pain; Spanish pain
under
     1. prep. In or at a lower level than.
     2. prep. As a subject of; subordinate to.
           He served in World War II under General Omar Bradley.
     3. prep. Less than.
     4. prep. Below the surface of.
     5. prep. (figuratively) In the face of; in response to (some attacking force).
           to collapse under stress; to give in under interrogation
     6. prep. As, in the character of.
           he writes books under the name John Smith
     7. adv. In a way lower or less than.
     8. adv. In a way inferior to.
     9. adv. (informal) In an unconscious state.
           It took the hypnotist several minutes to make his subject go under.
     10. adj. Being lower; being beneath something.
     11. adj. (medicine, colloquial) Under anesthesia, especially general anesthesia; sedated.
           Ensure the patient is sufficiently under.
the
     1. art. Definite grammatical article that implies necessarily that an entity it articulates is presupposed; something already mentioned, or completely specified later in that same sentence, or assumed already
           I’m reading the book. (Compare I’m reading a book.)
           The street in front of your house. (Compare A street in Paris.)
           The men and women watched the man give the birdseed to the bird.
     2. art.          Used before a noun modified by a restrictive relative clause, indicating that the noun refers to a single referent defined by the relative clause.
                    The street that runs through my hometown.
     3. art. Used before an object considered to be unique, or of which there is only one at a time.
           No one knows how many galaxies there are in the universe.
           God save the Queen!
     4. art. Used before a superlative or an ordinal number modifying a noun, to indicate that the noun refers to a single item.
           That was the best apple pie ever.
     5. art.          Added to a superlative or an ordinal number to make it into a substantive.
                    That apple pie was the best.
     6. art. Introducing a singular term to be taken generically: preceding a name of something standing for a whole class.
     7. art. Used before an adjective, indicating all things (especially persons) described by that adjective.
           Feed the hungry, clothe the naked, comfort the afflicted, and afflict the comfortable.
     8. art. Used to indicate a certain example of (a noun) which is usually of most concern or most common or familiar.
           No one in the whole country had seen it before.
           I don't think I'll get to it until the morning.
     9. art. Used before a body part (especially of someone previously mentioned), as an alternative to a possessive pronoun.
           A stone hit him on the head. (= “A stone hit him on his head.”)
     10. art. When stressed, indicates that it describes an object which is considered to be best or exclusively worthy of attention.
           That is the hospital to go to for heart surgery.
     11. adv. 1=With a comparative ormore and a verb phrase, establishes a parallel with one or more other such comparatives.
           The hotter the better.
           The more I think about it, the weaker it looks.
           The more money donated, the more books purchased, and the more happy children.
           It looks weaker and weaker, the more I think about it.
     12. adv. 1=With a comparative, and often withfor it, indicates a result more like said comparative. This can be negated withnone.
           It was a difficult time, but I’m the wiser for it.
           It was a difficult time, and I’m none the wiser for it.
           I'm much the wiser for having had a difficult time like that.
lower
     1. adj. comparative form of low: more low
     2. adj. bottom; more towards the bottom than the middle of an object
     3. adj. (geology, of strata or geological time periods) older
     4. adv. comparative form of low: more low
     5. v. To let descend by its own weight, as something suspended; to let down
           lower a bucket into a well
           to lower a sail of a boat
     6. v. to pull down
           to lower a flag
     7. v. To reduce the height of
           lower a fence or wall
           lower a chimney or turret
     8. v. To depress as to direction
           lower the aim of a gun
     9. v. To make less elevated
           to lower one's ambition, aspirations, or hopes
     10. v. To reduce the degree, intensity, strength, etc., of
           lower the temperature
           lower one's vitality
           lower distilled liquors
     11. v. To bring down; to humble
           lower one's pride
     12. v. (reflexive) (lower oneself) To humble oneself; to do something one considers to be beneath one's dignity.
           I could never lower myself enough to buy second-hand clothes.
     13. v. To reduce (something) in value, amount, etc.
           lower the price of goods
           lower the interest rate
     14. v. (intransitive) To fall; to sink; to grow less; to diminish; to decrease
           The river lowered as rapidly as it rose.
     15. v. (intransitive) To decrease in value, amount, etc.
     16. v. alternative spelling of lour.
edge
     1. n. The boundary line of a surface.
     2. n. (geometry) A one-dimensional face of a polytope. In particular, the joining line between two vertices of a polygon; the place where two faces of a polyhedron meet.
     3. n. An advantage.
           I have the edge on him.
     4. n. (also figuratively) The thin cutting side of the blade of an instrument, such as an ax, knife, sword, or scythe; that which cuts as an edge does, or wounds deeply, etc.
     5. n. A sharp terminating border; a margin; a brink; an extreme verge.
           The cup is right on the edge of the table.
           He is standing on the edge of a precipice.
     6. n. Sharpness; readiness or fitness to cut; keenness; intenseness of desire.
     7. n. The border or part adjacent to the line of division; the beginning or early part (of a period of time)
           in the edge of evening
     8. n. (cricket) A shot where the ball comes off the edge of the bat, often unintentionally.
     9. n. (graph theory) A connected pair of vertices in a graph.
     10. n. In male masturbation, a level of sexual arousal that is maintained just short of reaching the point of inevitability, or climax; see also edging.
     11. v. To move an object slowly and carefully in a particular direction.
           He edged the book across the table.
     12. v. (intransitive) To move slowly and carefully in a particular direction.
           He edged away from her.
     13. v. (usually in the form 'just edge') To win by a small margin.
     14. v. (cricket, transitive) To hit the ball with an edge of the bat, causing a fine deflection.
     15. v. To trim the margin of a lawn where the grass meets the sidewalk, usually with an electric or gas-powered lawn edger.
     16. v. To furnish with an edge; to construct an edging.
     17. v. To furnish with an edge, as a tool or weapon; to sharpen.
     18. v. (figurative) To make sharp or keen; to incite; to exasperate; to goad; to urge or egg on.
     19. v. (intransitive) To delay one's orgasm so as to remain almost at the point of orgasm.
of
     1. prep. Expressing distance or motion.
     2. prep.          (now obsolete, or dialectal) From (of distance, direction), "off".
     3. prep.          (obsolete except in phrases) Since, from (a given time, earlier state etc.).
     4. prep.          From, away from (a position, number, distance etc.).
                    There are no shops within twenty miles of the cottage.
     5. prep.          (North America, Scotland, Ireland) Before (the hour); to.
                    What's the time? / Nearly a quarter of three.
     6. prep. Expressing separation.
     7. prep.          (Indicating removal, absence or separation, with the action indicated by a transitive verb and the quality or substance by a grammatical object.)
                    Finally she was relieved of the burden of caring for her sick husband.
     8. prep.          (Indicating removal, absence or separation, with resulting state indicated by an adjective.)
                    He seemed devoid of human feelings.
     9. prep.          (obsolete) (Indicating removal, absence or separation, construed with an intransitive verb.)
     10. prep. Expressing origin.
     11. prep.          (Indicating an ancestral source or origin of descent.)
                    The word is believed to be of Japanese origin.
     12. prep.          (Indicating a (non-physical) source of action or emotion; introducing a cause, instigation); from, out of, as an expression of.
                    The invention was born of necessity.
     13. prep.          (following an intransitive verb) (Indicates the source or cause of the verb.)
                    It is said that she died of a broken heart.
     14. prep.          (following an adjective) (Indicates the subject or cause of the adjective.)
                    I am tired of all this nonsense.
     15. prep. Expressing agency.
     16. prep.          (following a passive verb) (Indicates the agent (for most verbs, now usually expressed with by).)
                    I am not particularly enamoured of this idea.
     17. prep.          (Used to introduce the "subjective genitive"; following a noun to form the head of a postmodifying noun phrase) (see also 'Possession' senses below).
                    The contract can be terminated at any time with the agreement of both parties.
     18. prep.          (following an adjective) (Used to indicate the agent of something described by the adjective.)
                    It was very brave of you to speak out like that.
     19. prep. Expressing composition, substance.
     20. prep.          (after a verb expressing construction, making etc.) (Used to indicate the material or substance used.)
                    Many 'corks' are now actually made of plastic.
     21. prep.          (directly following a noun) (Used to indicate the material of the just-mentioned object.)
                    She wore a dress of silk.
     22. prep.          (Indicating the composition of a given collective or quantitative noun.)
                    What a lot of nonsense!
     23. prep.          (Used to link a given class of things with a specific example of that class.)
                   Welcome to the historic town of Harwich.
     24. prep.          (Links two nouns in near-apposition, with the first qualifying the second); "which is also".
                    I'm not driving this wreck of a car.
     25. prep. Introducing subject matter.
     26. prep.          (Links an intransitive verb, or a transitive verb and its subject (especially verbs to do with thinking, feeling, expressing etc.), with its subject-ma
                    I'm always thinking of you.
     27. prep.          (following a noun (now chiefly nouns of knowledge, communication etc.)) (Introduces its subject matter); about, concerning.
                    He told us the story of his journey to India.
     28. prep.          (following an adjective) (Introduces its subject matter.)
                    This behaviour is typical of teenagers.
     29. prep. Having partitive effect.
     30. prep.          (following a number or other quantitive word) (Introduces the whole for which is indicated only the specified part or segment); "from among".
                    Most of these apples are rotten.
     31. prep.          (following a noun) (Indicates a given part.)
     32. prep.          (now archaic, literary, with preceding partitive word assumed, or as a predicate after to be) Some, an amount of, one of.
                    On the whole, they seem to be of the decent sort.
     33. prep.          (Links to a genitive noun or possessive pronoun, with partitive effect (though now often merged with possessive senses, below).)
                    He is a friend of mine.
     34. prep. Expressing possession.
     35. prep.          Belonging to, existing in, or taking place in a given location, place or time. Compare "origin" senses, above.
                    He was perhaps the most famous scientist of the twentieth century.
     36. prep.          Belonging to (a place) through having title, ownership or control over it.
                    The owner of the nightclub was arrested.
     37. prep.          Belonging to (someone or something) as something they possess or have as a characteristic; (the "possessive genitive". (With abstract nouns, this inter
                    Keep the handle of the saucepan away from the flames.
     38. prep. Forming the "objective genitive".
     39. prep.          (Follows an agent noun, verbal noun or noun of action.)
                    She had a profound distrust of the police.
     40. prep. Expressing qualities or characteristics.
     41. prep.          (now archaic, or literary) (Links an adjective with a noun or noun phrase to form a quasi-adverbial qualifier); in respect to, as regards.
                    My companion seemed affable and easy of manner.
     42. prep.          (Indicates a quality or characteristic); "characterized by".
                    Pooh was said to be a bear of very little brain.
     43. prep.          (Indicates quantity, age, price, etc.)
                    We have been paying interest at a rate of 10%.
     44. prep.          (US, informal considered incorrect by some) (Used to link singular indefinite nouns (preceded by the indefinite article) and attributive adjectives mod
                    It's not that big of a deal.
     45. prep. Expressing a point in time.
     46. prep.          (chiefly regional) During the course of (a set period of time, day of the week etc.), now specifically with implied repetition or regularity.
                    Of an evening, we would often go for a stroll along the river.
     47. prep.          (UK dialectal, chiefly in negative constructions) For (a given length of time).
                    I've not tekken her out of a goodly long while.
     48. prep.          (after a noun) (Indicates duration of a state, activity etc.)
                    After a delay of three hours, the plane finally took off.
the
     1. art. Definite grammatical article that implies necessarily that an entity it articulates is presupposed; something already mentioned, or completely specified later in that same sentence, or assumed already
           I’m reading the book. (Compare I’m reading a book.)
           The street in front of your house. (Compare A street in Paris.)
           The men and women watched the man give the birdseed to the bird.
     2. art.          Used before a noun modified by a restrictive relative clause, indicating that the noun refers to a single referent defined by the relative clause.
                    The street that runs through my hometown.
     3. art. Used before an object considered to be unique, or of which there is only one at a time.
           No one knows how many galaxies there are in the universe.
           God save the Queen!
     4. art. Used before a superlative or an ordinal number modifying a noun, to indicate that the noun refers to a single item.
           That was the best apple pie ever.
     5. art.          Added to a superlative or an ordinal number to make it into a substantive.
                    That apple pie was the best.
     6. art. Introducing a singular term to be taken generically: preceding a name of something standing for a whole class.
     7. art. Used before an adjective, indicating all things (especially persons) described by that adjective.
           Feed the hungry, clothe the naked, comfort the afflicted, and afflict the comfortable.
     8. art. Used to indicate a certain example of (a noun) which is usually of most concern or most common or familiar.
           No one in the whole country had seen it before.
           I don't think I'll get to it until the morning.
     9. art. Used before a body part (especially of someone previously mentioned), as an alternative to a possessive pronoun.
           A stone hit him on the head. (= “A stone hit him on his head.”)
     10. art. When stressed, indicates that it describes an object which is considered to be best or exclusively worthy of attention.
           That is the hospital to go to for heart surgery.
     11. adv. 1=With a comparative ormore and a verb phrase, establishes a parallel with one or more other such comparatives.
           The hotter the better.
           The more I think about it, the weaker it looks.
           The more money donated, the more books purchased, and the more happy children.
           It looks weaker and weaker, the more I think about it.
     12. adv. 1=With a comparative, and often withfor it, indicates a result more like said comparative. This can be negated withnone.
           It was a difficult time, but I’m the wiser for it.
           It was a difficult time, and I’m none the wiser for it.
           I'm much the wiser for having had a difficult time like that.
ribcage
     1. n. alternative spelling of rib cage
brought
     1. v. simple past tense and past participle of bring
     bring
          1. v. To transport toward somebody/somewhere.
                Waiter, please bring me a single malt whiskey.
          2. v. (transitive, figuratively) To supply or contribute.
                The new company director brought a fresh perspective on sales and marketing.
          3. v. To raise (a lawsuit, charges, etc.) against somebody.
          4. v. To persuade; to induce; to draw; to lead; to guide.
          5. v. To produce in exchange; to sell for; to fetch.
                What does coal bring per ton?
          6. v. (baseball) To pitch, often referring to a particularly hard thrown fastball.
                The closer Jones can really bring it.
          7. interj. The sound of a telephone ringing.
          8. interj. cln, en, basic words, irregular verbs, onomatopoeias
on
     1. adj. In the state of being active, functioning or operating.
     2. adj. Performing according to schedule.
           Are we still on for tonight?
           Is the show still on?
     3. adj. (chiefly UK, informal, usually negative) Acceptable, appropriate.
           You can't do that; it's just not on.
     4. adj. (informal) Destined, normally in the context of a challenge being accepted; involved, doomed.
           "Five bucks says the Cavs win tonight." ―"You're on!".
           Mike just threw coffee onto Paul's lap. It's on now.
     5. adj. (baseball, informal) Having reached a base as a runner and being positioned there, awaiting further action from a subsequent batter.
     6. adj. (euphemistic) Menstruating.
     7. adv. To an operating state.
           turn the television on
     8. adv. Along, forwards (continuing an action).
           drive on, rock on
     9. adv. In continuation, at length.
           and so on.
           He rambled on and on.
     10. adv. (not US) Later.
           Ten years on, nothing had changed in the village.
     11. prep. Positioned at the upper surface of, touching from above.
           on the table;  on the couch
           The parrot was sitting on Jim's shoulder.
     12. prep. At or near; adjacent to.
           Soon we'll pass a statue on the left.
           The fleet is on the American coast.
           Croton-on-Hudson, Rostov-on-Don, Southend-on-Sea
     13. prep. Covering.
           He wore old shoes on his feet.
     14. prep. At the date of.
           Born on the 4th of July.
     15. prep. Some time during the day of.
           I'll see you on Monday.   The bus leaves on Friday.   Can I see you on a different day? On Sunday I'm busy.
     16. prep. Dealing with the subject of, about, or concerning something.
           A book on history.   The World Summit on the Information Society.
     17. prep. Touching; hanging from.
           The fruit ripened on the trees.   The painting hangs on the wall.
     18. prep. (informal) In the possession of.
           I haven't got any money on me.
     19. prep. Because of, or due to.
           To arrest someone on suspicion of bribery.   To contact someone on a hunch.
     20. prep. Upon; at the time of (and often because of).
           On Jack's entry, William got up to leave.
           On the addition of ammonia, a chemical reaction begins.
     21. prep. Paid for by.
           The drinks are on me tonight, boys.   The meal is on the house.   I paid for the airfare and meals for my family, but the hotel room was on the company.
     22. prep. Used to indicate a means or medium.
           I saw it on television.   Can't you see I'm on the phone?
     23. prep. Indicating a means of subsistence.
           They lived on ten dollars a week.   The dog survived three weeks on rainwater.
     24. prep. Away or occupied with (e.g. a scheduled activity).
           He's on his lunch break.   on vacation;  on holiday
     25. prep. Denoting performance or action by contact with the surface, upper part, or outside of anything; hence, by means of; with.
           to play on a violin or piano
           Her words made a lasting impression on my mind.
     26. prep. Regularly taking (a drug).
           You've been on these antidepressants far too long.   He's acting so strangely, I think he must be on something.
     27. prep. Under the influence of (a drug).
           He's acting crazy because he's on crack right now.
     28. prep. (mathematics) Having identical domain and codomain.
           a function on
     29. prep. (mathematics) HavingV^n as domain and V as codomain, for some set V and integer n.
           an operator on
     30. prep. (mathematics) Generated by.
           the free group on four letters
     31. prep. Supported by (the specified part of itself).
           A table can't stand on two legs.   After resting on his elbows, he stood on his toes, then walked on his heels.
     32. prep. At a given time after the start of something; at.
     33. prep. In addition to; besides; indicating multiplication or succession in a series.
           heaps on heaps of food
           mischief on mischief; loss on loss
     34. prep. (obsolete, regional) of
     35. prep. Indicating dependence or reliance; with confidence in.
           I depended on them for assistance.
           He will promise on certain conditions.
           Do you ever bet on horses?
     36. prep. Toward; for; indicating the object of an emotion.
           Have pity or compassion on him.
     37. prep. (obsolete) At the peril of, or for the safety of.
     38. prep. In the service of; connected with; of the number of.
           He is on a newspaper; I am on the committee.
     39. prep. By virtue of; with the pledge of.
           He affirmed or promised on his word, or on his honour.
     40. prep. To the account or detriment of; denoting imprecation or invocation, or coming to, falling, or resting upon.
           On us be all the blame.
           A curse on him!
           Please don't tell on her and get her in trouble.
           He turned on her and has been her enemy ever since.
           He went all honest on me, making me listen to his confession.
     41. v. (transitive, Singapore, Philippines) to switch on
           Can you on the light?
     42. prep. (UK dialectal, Scotland) Without.
     43. n. In the Japanese language, a pronunciation, or reading, of a kanji character that was originally based on the character's pronunciation in Chinese, contrasted with kun.
           Most kanji have two kinds of reading, called "on" and "kun".
by
     1. prep. Near or next to.
           The mailbox is by the bus stop.
     2. prep. At some time before (the given time), or before the end of a given time interval.
           Be back by ten o'clock!  We will send it by the first week of July.
     3. prep. Indicates the actor in a clause with its verb in the passive voice: Through the action or presence of.
           The matter was decided by the chairman.  The boat was swamped by the water.  He was protected by his body armour.
     4. prep. Indicates the creator of a work: Existing through the authorship etc. of.
           There are many well-known plays by William Shakespeare
     5. prep. Indicates the cause of a condition or event: Through the action of, caused by, responsibility for; by dint of.
     6. prep. Indicates a means: Involving/using the means of.
           I avoided the guards by moving only when they weren't looking.
     7. prep. Indicates a source of light used as illumination.
           The electricity was cut off, so we had to read by candlelight.
     8. prep. Indicates an authority, rule, or permission followed.
           I sorted the items by category.  By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife.
     9. prep. Indicates the amount of some progression: With a change of.
           Our stock is up by ten percent.
     10. prep. In the formulae X by X and by Xs, indicates a steady progression, one X after another.
           We went through the book page by page.  We crawled forward by inches.
     11. prep. Indicates a referenced source: According to.
           He cheated by his own admission.
     12. prep. Indicates an oath: With the authority of.
           By Jove! I think she's got it!  By all that is holy, I'll put an end to this.
     13. prep. Used to separate dimensions when describing the size of something.
           It is easy to invert a 2-by-2 matrix.  The room was about 4 foot by 6 foot.  The bricks used to build the wall measured 10 by 20 by 30 cm.
     14. prep. (horse breeding) Designates a horse's male parent (sire); cf. out of.
           She's a lovely little filly, by Big Lad, out of Damsel in Distress.
     15. adv. Along a path which runs by the speaker.
           I watched as it passed by.
     16. adv. In the vicinity, near.
           There was a shepherd close by.
           The shop is hard by the High Street.
     17. adv. To or at a place, as a residence or place of business.
           I'll stop by on my way home from work.
           We're right near the lifeguard station. Come by before you leave.
     18. adv. Aside, away.
           The women spent much time after harvest putting jams by for winter and spring.
     19. adj. Out of the way, subsidiary.
     20. n. (card games) A pass
     21. interj. alternative spelling of bye
exercise
     1. n. Any activity designed to develop or hone a skill or ability.
           The teacher told us the next exercise is to write an essay.
     2. n. Physical activity intended to improve strength and fitness.
     3. n. A setting in action or practicing; employment in the proper mode of activity; exertion; application; use.
     4. n. The performance of an office, ceremony, or duty.
     5. n. (obsolete) That which gives practice; a trial; a test.
     6. v. To exert for the sake of training or improvement; to practice in order to develop.
           to exercise troops or horses;  to exercise one's brain with a puzzle
     7. v. (intransitive) To perform physical activity for health or training.
           I exercise at the gym every day.
     8. v. To use (a right, an option, etc.); to put into practice.
           The tenant exercised its option to renew the tenancy.
           She is going to exercise her right to vote.
     9. v. (now often, in passive) To occupy the attention and effort of; to task; to tax, especially in a painful or vexatious manner; harass; to vex; to worry or make anxious.
           exercised with pain
     10. v. (obsolete) To set in action; to cause to act, move, or make exertion; to give employment to.
Dictionary entries from Wiktionary