educate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to develop the faculties and powers of (a person) by teaching, instruction, or schooling.
- Synonyms:
- indoctrinate, drill, school, instruct
-
to qualify by instruction or training for a particular calling, practice, etc.; train.
to educate someone for law.
-
to provide schooling or training for; send to school.
-
to develop or train (the ear, taste, etc.).
to educate one's palate to appreciate fine food.
-
to inform.
to educate oneself about the best course of action.
verb (used without object)
verb
-
(also intr) to impart knowledge by formal instruction to (a pupil); teach
-
to provide schooling for (children)
I have educated my children at the best schools
-
to improve or develop (a person, judgment, taste, skills, etc)
-
to train for some particular purpose or occupation
Related Words
See teach.
Other Word Forms
- overeducate verb (used with object)
- preeducate verb (used with object)
Etymology
Origin of educate
First recorded in 1400–50; Middle English educate, educatyn, from Latin ēducātus “brought up, nurtured, taught” (past participle of ēducāre ), equivalent to ē- + -duc-, variant of dūc- “to lead” + -ātus e- 1, -ate 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.
Public universities educate 75% of U.S. college graduates and produce most of the nurses, teachers, engineers and business leaders who sustain our regional and state economies.
“There has been this growing skepticism that Americans, even educated Americans, have about higher education and its value,” said Beth Akers, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, a center-right think tank.
“At best, you have an educated guess. At worst, it’s just a potshot.”
From Salon
She said the wolf-dog community spent a lot of time educating people on the needs of the animals to try to ensure they ended up in safe homes.
From BBC
At a previous hearing, he said the posts were "not befitting of someone as educated as myself and were said in the heat of the emotion".
From BBC
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.
