learn
Americanverb (used with object)
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to acquire knowledge of or skill in by study, instruction, or experience.
to learn French;
to learn to ski.
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to become informed of or acquainted with; ascertain.
to learn the truth.
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to memorize.
He learned the poem so he could recite it at the dinner.
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to gain (a habit, mannerism, etc.) by experience, exposure to example, or the like; acquire.
She learned patience from her father.
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(of a device or machine, especially a computer) to perform an analogue of human learning with artificial intelligence.
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Nonstandard. to instruct in; teach.
verb (used without object)
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to acquire knowledge or skill.
to learn rapidly.
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to become informed (usually followed byof ).
to learn of an accident.
verb
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(when tr, may take a clause as object) to gain knowledge of (something) or acquire skill in (some art or practice)
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(tr) to commit to memory
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(tr) to gain by experience, example, etc
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(intr; often foll by of or about) to become informed; know
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not_standard to teach
Usage
What are other ways to say learn?
To learn something is to acquire knowledge of it through study or experience. How does learn compare with discover, ascertain, and detect? Find out on Thesaurus.com.
Other Word Forms
- learnable adjective
- mislearn verb
- outlearn verb (used with object)
- relearn verb
Etymology
Origin of learn
First recorded before 900; Middle English lernen, Old English leornian “to learn, read, ponder” (cognate with German lernen ); akin to lesan “to glean” (cognate with German lesen “to read”). See lear
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
I was a young wannabe filmmaker trying to learn how to make movies, and somebody like me was up there onstage telling a story about how he got there.
From Los Angeles Times
However, he was 19 when he first came into this work as a freedom fighter, walking alongside and learning from King’s leadership.
From Salon
"I do work in a Holocaust museum, so the murder of Jews isn't something that I'm not used to, and I've learned to compartmentalise," she says.
From BBC
In Kiribati, for instance, studies by Britain and the United States on health and environmental impacts remain classified, preventing victims from learning what was done to them.
From Barron's
She said her 11-year-old son had asked her if he needed to start learning English.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
