Practice can have many distinct meanings and usages.
Practice is the work a professional does, especially when a license is required to do the work.
- A medical doctor conducts the practice of medicine when they examine, advise, and treat their patients.
- A lawyer commits unauthorized practice of law if they do legal work in a jurisdiction where they are not licensed to do so.
In some professions, a small business may be called a practice rather than a business. The term is often interchangeable with “office.” It is most commonly used by those who operate their own legal, medical, or dental business, and generally used only to refer to small businesses - an office with 200 lawyers would likely not be called a practice.
- “I started my own family law practice.”
An action, behavior, or procedure that is recommended, typical, or customary, in conjunction with adjectives such as “best,” “common,” or “traditional.”
- “To be safe, it is best practice to double check.”
- “It is common practice in the industry to use certain enhanced safety measures.”
- Common practice, in particular, is often used to help determine the standard of care in negligence cases.
-
“It is traditional practice to wear a morning coat when arguing before the Supreme Court.”
The real-world application of something.
- “In theory, limiting instructions to disregard inadmissible evidence ensure that such evidence will not be considered, but in practice such jury instructions may not always work.”
To carry out an action.
- “Practice what you preach.”
Related to repetitive work to enhance or maintain a skill, or to prepare for something in the future.
- “Arguing in moot court competitions is a good way to practice for the real thing.”
- “Arguing in moot court competitions is good practice for the real thing.”
- “She went to a public speaking practice to prepare for the moot court competition.”
[Last updated in March of 2024 by the Wex Definitions Team]