Exercise, which can be a noun or a verb, most commonly means “working out the body” such as running, walking, weight-lifting, yoga, and playing sports. More generally it can refer to almost any kind of “work,” especially work which is beneficial, for the person exercising:
Changing the way one speaks can be a useful exercise.
Exercise can also mean “to use or exploit an ability or power”:
Please exercise your authority to help those people.
If you exercise your intellect, you can solve the problem.
Exorcise, on the other hand, is much more limited. It means “to cause a demon to come out of a person, through a religious ritual.” Think of the horror movie The Exorcist.
However, exorcise can also be used metaphorically for more common situations:
Ralph’s supportive words exorcised all of my fears.
We need to exorcise all anger and mistrust from our organization.
More Examples of How to Use “Exercise” in a Sentence
- My new business coach, Rachel James, told me that it’s essential to get plenty of exercise and sleep if I expect to perform at a high level.
- Rowing is a perfect sport because it exercises all the major muscle groups; however, it’s the most accessible sport there is.
- Exercise your power, authority, and rights: don’t take them for granted!
- Carlos and the other stable boys exercise the horses every morning to keep them in top competitive shape.
- Exercising was more difficult than John expected, but he was motivated by his upcoming high school reunion, so he ran until his heart pounded and his muscles ached.
More Examples of How to Use “Exorcise” in a Sentence
- Ronald’s favorite movie is about a priest trying to exorcise the demons from a young girl.
- With the help of his friends, Jason employed a psychic to exorcise the spirit in his home, but the psychic turned out to be a fraud and ran away with the money.
- It took a long time for the Smith family to exorcise the memory of the accident that occured during their trip to Greece.
- Gilberto confronted the painful traumas of the past and tried exorcising the pain from his heart and mind.
- Eddie turned to religion to exorcise himself from the guilt of his past deeds.