learn
Americanverb (used with object)
-
learns,
present (3rd person singular)
-
learned,
past participle, past
-
learnt,
past participle, past
-
learning
present participle
-
to acquire knowledge of or skill in by study, instruction, or experience.
to learn French;
to learn to ski.
-
to become informed of or acquainted with; ascertain.
to learn the truth.
-
to memorize.
He learned the poem so he could recite it at the dinner.
-
to gain (a habit, mannerism, etc.) by experience, exposure to example, or the like; acquire.
She learned patience from her father.
-
(of a device or machine, especially a computer) to perform an analogue of human learning with artificial intelligence.
-
Nonstandard. to instruct in; teach.
verb (used without object)
-
learns,
present (3rd person singular)
-
learned,
past participle, past
-
learnt,
past participle, past
-
learning
present participle
-
to acquire knowledge or skill.
to learn rapidly.
-
to become informed (usually followed byof ).
to learn of an accident.
verb
-
(when tr, may take a clause as object) to gain knowledge of (something) or acquire skill in (some art or practice)
-
(tr) to commit to memory
-
(tr) to gain by experience, example, etc
-
(intr; often foll by of or about) to become informed; know
-
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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
learnsimple
-
learnssimple
-
have learnedperfect
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have learntperfect
-
has learnedperfect
-
has learntperfect
-
am learningprogressive
-
are learningprogressive
-
is learningprogressive
-
have been learningperfect progressive
-
has been learningperfect progressive
Past
-
learnedsimple
-
learntsimple
-
had learnedperfect
-
had learntperfect
-
was learningprogressive
-
were learningprogressive
-
had been learningperfect progressive
Future
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
Explanation
To learn is to gain new knowledge or skills through study, practice or experience. You probably learn something every day. Whether you want to dance, understand chemistry, or know the alphabet backwards, you will have to learn. One of the most common ways to learn is through teachers and tutors, but people learn a lot from books, hobbies, jobs, and their families. Books and other reading material are a huge source of learning. Someone sent to prison learns they have to pay for their crime, but they might learn many things because they have plenty of time to read.
Vocabulary lists containing learn
President Obama's second inaugural address
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Part 1 Vocabulary (Unit 3)
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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.
See Examples For:
It’s a lesson that the team of writers, directors and producers at The Daily Wire failed to learn.
From Salon ● Oct. 7, 2026
By studying these systems, researchers can estimate how energetic the collisions were and learn more about how rocky planets form and evolve.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 7, 2026
How did you access or learn elements of luxury growing up?
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
And could the rest of us stand to learn from it?
From Slate ● Oct. 7, 2026
Other brain researchers soon learn to use low-voltage electricity to stimulate specific points on the brain.
From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman
Their weights, or the numeral parameters that the model learns throughout the training process, can be downloaded directly and run locally.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026
He fears an art passed down generations could disappear if no-one learns it.
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
First, we’re with Digger on the morning he learns that an ice shelf has broken off his Greenland drilling site.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026
Instead, “light a candle” and hope that he learns from the “embarrassment” of his failure.
From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2026
“If she learns her lesson, will she undo all her gifts?”
From "Ella Enchanted" by Gail Carson Levine
Washington is widening the entrance in the same week the people inside learned the exit is 5% wide.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 7, 2026
Trautman was born in 1907 in Mowrystown, Ohio, a small community where books were scarce, and he learned to treasure them from a young age.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
"The North Sea oil and gas industry started on the UK side. We learned from the UK and it's actually the same geology on both sides of the border - several fields actually cross it."
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
While Herman was once known only for his massive canvases, today he has learned to appreciate the diminutive in his life and his work.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
“The war was ending. We had just learned he was going to come back here, and I didn’t want him anywhere near my girls again. You had a duty.”
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
"We continue working with our partners across government and the fire and rescue sector to ensure the lessons of the Grenfell tragedy are learnt, and this continues to shape everything we do."
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
Gradually, they learnt how it worked and grew confident using it.
From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026
Teasdale learnt both ballet and gymnastics to develop his footwork and skills in the ring and was seemingly set for stardom.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
He added: "We've also learnt that cool heads are needed, even in those most horrific of circumstances."
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
“I'm afraid I don’t hunt,” I confessed, “I learnt to ride, as a child, but very feebly, I don’t remember much about it.”
From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier
On Wednesday, OpenAI said it found average teen use of ChatGPT to be relatively limited and tended toward "learning" activity.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
“For centuries,” he writes, “people have accepted that literature and learning are among the highest purposes and deepest consolations of human existence.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
Researchers hope that learning how to manipulate bacterial communication could eventually provide a foundation for therapies designed to steer microbial communities toward healthier states rather than simply destroying them.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 7, 2026
But the hottest and driest summer on record has been a "steep learning curve" for islanders, said Lundy managing director Derek Green.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
She had expected London to be a glittering metropolis full of culture and learning.
From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood
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.
