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  • lear
    lear
    noun
    learning; instruction; lesson.
  • Lear
    Lear
    noun
    Edward, 1812–88, English writer of humorous verse and landscape painter.

lear

1 American  
[leer] / lɪər /

noun

Scot. and North England.
  1. learning; instruction; lesson.


Lear 2 American  
[leer] / lɪər /

noun

  1. Edward, 1812–88, English writer of humorous verse and landscape painter.

  2. (italics) King Lear.


Lear British  
/ lɪə /

noun

  1. Edward. 1812–88, English humorist and painter, noted for his illustrated nonsense poems and limericks

"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

Etymology

Origin of lear

1350–1400; late Middle English lere lesson, noun use of lere to teach, Old English lǣran; cognate with Dutch leren, German lehren, Gothic laisjan; akin to lore 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.

Words can’t really do justice to the profound musical depths Henry plumbs in this searing revival of “Ragtime,” directed by Lear deBessonet for Lincoln Center Theatre.

From Los Angeles Times • May 5, 2026

Palantir’s stock trades at 108 times forward earnings expectations, compared with 63 times expected earnings for Centrus Energy, about 14 times for Lennar and about 8 times for Lear, according to FactSet.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 16, 2026

It was TV as Rorschach test, where some viewers interpreted Archie as the hero and Mike as the fool, while others understood that Lear was on Mike’s side of every argument.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 4, 2026

Pope Francis, Prince Phillip, King Lear - only some of the iconic figures actor Sir Jonathan Pryce has played on-screen and on-stage during career spanning more than 50 years.

From BBC • Jan. 29, 2026

Echoes persisted of the 1986 crash, when the area had become a scavenger hunt for repossessed Lear jets, Mercedeses, mobile homes, oil rigs, ranches, and two-bedroom houses with walls so thin they seemed translucent.

From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger