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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.

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Lear ² American  

[leer] / lɪər /

noun

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

2. (italics) King Lear.

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Lear British  

/ lɪə /

noun

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

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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

See Examples For:

lear Lear

In this braw age o’ wit and lear, Will nane the Shepherd’s whistle mair Blaw sweetly in its native air And rural grace; And wi’ the far-fam’d Grecian share A rival place?

From The Complete Works of Robert Burns: Containing his Poems, Songs, and Correspondence. With a New Life of the Poet, and Notices, Critical and Biographical by Allan Cunningham by Burns, Robert

He hath had in his youth some smattering of letters, but now what little lear he had trots all skimble-skamble in his head.

From The White Plumes of Navarre A Romance of the Wars of Religion by Crockett, S. R. (Samuel Rutherford)

"O they are putten to a deeper lear, And to a higher scule:10 Your ain twa sons will no be hame Till the hallow days o' Yule."

From English and Scottish Ballads, Volume II (of 8) by Various

Lear young, lear fair, Little intermitting makes good friends.

From Collection of Scotch Proverbs by Stampoy, Pappity

For God sake, sirs, then speak her fair, An’ straik her cannie wi’ the hair, An’ to the muckle house repair, Wi’ instant speed, An’ strive, wi’ a’ your wit and lear, To get remead.

From The Complete Works of Robert Burns: Containing his Poems, Songs, and Correspondence. With a New Life of the Poet, and Notices, Critical and Biographical by Allan Cunningham by Burns, Robert

The English actor was also known for his collaboration with Dame Judi Dench and her husband, Michael Williams, and they starred in several stage productions together, including King Lear.

From BBC ● May 11, 2026

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

Shares of suppliers Lear, Aptiv, and Magna International were up 0.3%, 1.7%, and 1%, respectively.

From Barron's ● Jan. 13, 2026

“I’m going to tell him,” Clevinger insisted, as the two of them sat high in the reviewing stands looking down on the auxiliary parade-ground at Lieutenant Scheisskopf raging back and forth like a beardless Lear.

From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller