Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

teaching

American  
[tee-ching] / ˈti tʃɪŋ /

noun

  1. the act or profession of a person who teaches.

  2. something that is taught. teach.

  3. Often teachings. doctrines or precepts.

    the teachings of Lao-tzu.
teaching British  
/ ˈtiːtʃɪŋ /

noun

  1. the art or profession of a teacher

  2. (sometimes plural) something taught; precept

  3. (modifier) denoting a person or institution that teaches

    a teaching hospital

  4. (modifier) used in teaching

    teaching aids
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • nonteaching adjective
  • self-teaching adjective

Etymology

Origin of teaching

First recorded in 1125–75, teaching is from the Middle English word teching. See teach, -ing 1

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.

After a long day of teaching, Rudy Lerosey-Aubril turned to a familiar task: preparing a Cambrian arthropod fossil for study.

From Science Daily • Apr. 3, 2026

The typewriter as a teaching tool in the age of AI.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 1, 2026

With his older brother John, he ran a school, having left a previous teaching post from a disinclination to administer corporal punishment.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026

The EIS teaching union was days away from strike action earlier this month over that commitment, with teachers viewing it as a promise which had not been kept.

From BBC • Mar. 25, 2026

“She and I are more alike than you know. Did you know this one’s been teaching herself to fish? Along with the help of little Miss Harriet Kincaid.”

From "Caterpillar Summer" by Gillian McDunn

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.