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Synonyms

educate

American

[ej-oo-keyt] / ˈɛdʒ ʊˌkeɪt /

verb (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)

to educate a person or group.

A television program that educates can also entertain.

educate British

/ ˈɛdjʊˌkeɪt /

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

"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

Synonym Usage

See teach.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

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 see e- ¹, -ate ¹

Explanation

To educate is to teach, train, or inform someone. Teachers educate students. If the word educate makes you think of children, you're not far off. It comes from the Latin word educare meaning to "bring up, rear.” In the 1500s, Shakespeare borrowed it to mean "schooling." These days, any time you're in a classroom listening to a lecture, reading a book, or speaking with a teacher, you're being educated. Teachers educate students all the way from preschool to graduate school. Almost any experience can educate if you learn from it.

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Vocabulary lists containing educate

Lead the Way: Duc and Duct

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Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Suffixes: -ate

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Florida's B.E.S.T. Roots: duc, duct

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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.

The Death Science website advertises “hyper-realistic death science courses to educate in a unique, fun & captivating way.”

From Seattle Times • Nov. 4, 2021

Itoje is clearly someone who is out to do what he can to help educate in Britain.

From BBC • Oct. 10, 2021

To make sure the message got through, “There were two or three courses that the sheriff or one of his colleagues needed to visit and educate in a professional manner,” he said.

From New York Times • Apr. 24, 2020

And the key is to educate in order to prevent this first step, in particular with our youth.

From Washington Times • Oct. 2, 2015

Or does it educate in inductive philosophy to chase a pig through a Virginia fence?

From Russell H. Conwell by Burr, Agnes Rush

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023