education
Americannoun
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educations
plural
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the act or process of imparting or acquiring general knowledge, developing the powers of reasoning and judgment, and generally of preparing oneself or others intellectually for mature life.
- Synonyms:
- learning, schooling, instruction
-
the act or process of imparting or acquiring particular knowledge or skills, as for a profession.
-
a degree, level, or kind of schooling.
a university education.
-
the result produced by instruction, training, or study.
to show one's education.
- Synonyms:
- enlightenment, knowledge, learning
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the science or art of teaching; pedagogics.
noun
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the act or process of acquiring knowledge, esp systematically during childhood and adolescence
-
the knowledge or training acquired by this process
his education has been invaluable to him
-
the act or process of imparting knowledge, esp at a school, college, or university
education is my profession
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the theory of teaching and learning
a course in education
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a particular kind of instruction or training
a university education
consumer education
Usage
What is a basic definition of education? Education is both the act of teaching knowledge to others and the act of receiving knowledge from someone else. Education also refers to the knowledge received through schooling or instruction and to the institution of teaching as a whole. Education has a few other senses as a noun. Education is a word that covers both the act of instructing and the act of learning. It usually refers specifically to the teaching of children or younger people and the learning done by them. Real-life examples: Elementary schools, high schools, and colleges are institutions focused on education: People are taught important information and life skills at these places. Medical schools, law schools, and driving schools provide more specialized forms of education. Used in a sentence: The proper education of children is considered important in every country. Related to this sense, education refers to the specific level or type of instruction a person has received. Used in a sentence: He has a high school education. Education also means the specific knowledge or scholarship a person has acquired from being taught. Real-life examples: Doctors have an education in medicine. Chemists have an education in chemistry. Bankers have an education in finance or economics. Used in a sentence: She has an education in languages and is fluent in French and Italian. Education is also used to refer to the process or institution of teaching in general. Real-life examples: Most teachers have college degrees in education. Nations often devote a portion of their budget to education. Used in a sentence: My brother decided to pursue a career in education.
Synonym Usage
Education, training imply a discipline and development by means of study and learning. Education is the development of the abilities of the mind (learning to know): a liberal education. Training is practical education (learning to do) or practice, usually under supervision, in some art, trade, or profession: training in art, teacher training. Education, culture are often used interchangeably to mean the results of schooling. Education, however, suggests chiefly the information acquired. Culture is a mode of thought and feeling encouraged by education. It suggests an aspiration toward, and an appreciation of high intellectual and esthetic ideals: The level of culture in a country depends upon the education of its people.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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noneducationnoun
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overeducationnoun
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preeducationnoun
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supereducationnoun
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antieducationadjective
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proeducationadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of education
First recorded in 1525–35; from Middle French, from Latin ēducātiōn-, stem of ēducātiō “a rearing, bringing up,” literally “a leading out,” equivalent to ēducāt(us) ( see educate) + -iō -ion
Explanation
Whenever you learn something new, you are getting some amount of education. You might get your education in school, where you're learning to speak French, or in your garage, where you're learning how to repair your bike. Back in the 1500s, the word education meant "the raising of children," but it also meant "the training of animals." While there are probably a few teachers who feel like animal trainers, education these days has come to mean either "teaching" or "the process of acquiring knowledge."
Vocabulary lists containing education
Education and Academics, List 1
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Suffixes: -ion, -tion, -ation
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"Brothers in Hope"
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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.
See Examples For:
In the 1990s, she started working in Springfield at public schools, in physical education.
From Slate ● Oct. 28, 2026
Immigration ranked fifth, after the economy, healthcare, education and “the future of democracy.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026
Now 38, Kaepernick has published a memoir titled The Perilous Fight, detailing his childhood in California having been adopted by a white family, encountering racism, and his education and evolution.
From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026
His foundation has spent millions of dollars on education, healthcare and disaster relief, helping victims of the last Ebola outbreak in west Africa and building a Covid isolation centre during the pandemic.
From Barron's ● Oct. 27, 2026
Of those who managed to live ordinary lives, some already had more education than others, or their parents were peasants, or they came from a small village or a big city.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
Now, though, just as job hunters without degrees are having one of their best runs, those with college educations are having one of their worst.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026
Experts and couples interviewed by AFP spoke of a combination of factors, including longer educations and growing professional ambitions among women, along with rising divorce rates and financial strain on young professionals.
From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026
Many were buoyed by the postwar economic boom, access to affordable college educations and workplace pensions, and growth in the housing and stock markets, MarketWatch recently reported.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 27, 2026
Her parents always expected their daughters to get college educations but understood Mia could take a different path to success.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 3, 2026
Obediently, Penelope extracted the letter from her pocket and read: “‘Auditions may not interrupt the dancers’ educations.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
