learn
Americanverb (used with object)
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to acquire knowledge of or skill in by study, instruction, or experience.
to learn French;
to learn to ski.
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to become informed of or acquainted with; ascertain.
to learn the truth.
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to memorize.
He learned the poem so he could recite it at the dinner.
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to gain (a habit, mannerism, etc.) by experience, exposure to example, or the like; acquire.
She learned patience from her father.
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(of a device or machine, especially a computer) to perform an analogue of human learning with artificial intelligence.
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Nonstandard. to instruct in; teach.
verb (used without object)
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to acquire knowledge or skill.
to learn rapidly.
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to become informed (usually followed byof ).
to learn of an accident.
verb
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(when tr, may take a clause as object) to gain knowledge of (something) or acquire skill in (some art or practice)
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(tr) to commit to memory
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(tr) to gain by experience, example, etc
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(intr; often foll by of or about) to become informed; know
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not_standard to teach
Usage
What are other ways to say learn?
To learn something is to acquire knowledge of it through study or experience. How does learn compare with discover, ascertain, and detect? Find out on Thesaurus.com.
Other Word Forms
- learnable adjective
- mislearn verb
- outlearn verb (used with object)
- relearn verb
Etymology
Origin of learn
First recorded before 900; Middle English lernen, Old English leornian “to learn, read, ponder” (cognate with German lernen ); akin to lesan “to glean” (cognate with German lesen “to read”). See lear
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.
A book club is filled with a hundred little paradoxes: They want to learn but not be lectured to.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026
But under practices that have prevailed for decades, they rarely learn that conscience, moral duty and religious conviction shaped the decisions that defined the American experiment.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026
“But I think the deeper connection is: Do the incumbents want to stay in power? And how do they learn to do that from the ones who have managed to pull that off?”
From Slate • Apr. 9, 2026
Lyric Theatre Belfast, the venue where he performed the leading role in the Shakespeare play, said it was devastated to learn of his death.
From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026
“When are you going to understand that you can’t make something out of nothing? You need to learn to stop watering dead things.”
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
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.
