Most commonly,
practice is a
learning method, the act of rehearsing a behavior over and over, or engaging in an activity again and again, for the purpose of improving or mastering it, as in the
phrase "practice makes perfect". Sports teams practice to prepare for actual games. Playing a
musical instrument well takes a lot of practice. Sessions scheduled for the purpose of rehearsing and performance improvement are called
practices. They are used by sports teams, bands, individuals, etc. "He went to football practice everyday after school," for example.
Practice may also be working to achieve something, like a goal. A
practice refers to a way that something is done (e.g., conventional medical practice). The name
practice may also be used to refer to certain profession-based businesses (e.g., law practice, medical practice). It can also refer to a certain
tradition in doing some jobs. For example, people who study a subject like
linguistics can refer to the "British or European practice in linguistics" as opposed to the "American practice" in the field.
Practice and
tradition are linked to
schools of
thought or
philosophy. The
noun form of the word is "
practice", while the
verb form is "to
practise" (except for in
American English, which always uses "
practice" for both cases)
[1].
