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
-
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Part 1 Vocabulary (Unit 3)
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
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 must learn to be as determined and inventive as Ukraine.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
Like a neighborhood bar or a bowling alley, the internet was a place you could reliably go to have fun and occasionally learn something from semi-strangers who shared your interests.
From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026
"We can learn so much about vision and longevity from long-lived species like the Greenland shark, so having the funds to do research like this is very important."
From Science Daily ● Aug. 23, 2026
"On the calls, Jeffries is a fluent conversational partner and shows that he has the ability to learn new information auditorily," Judge Choudhury said.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
They had to learn to understand as they ran.
From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen
The new framework proposes that the brain learns these recurring patterns and stores them within networks of synapses.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 18, 2026
In an Instagram post, Grasso said she needed her fans "now more than ever" as she learns more about the mental health condition.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
If he learns from his mistakes, he could become great.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
The new Prime Minister learns he has narrow fiscal running room.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
Brad says this like everyone learns it in first grade.
From "Free Lunch" by Rex Ogle
It was 2019, and right before the start, I learned that Roybal coach Danny O’Fallon was dying of cancer.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2026
People who spoke more languages tended to have younger-looking brains, and the effect also appeared stronger among those who learned another language earlier and became more proficient.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 22, 2026
“It’s not like a bunch of kids who just learned AI.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
When she learned the bookshop had been raided by police in late June, Zhu broke into tears: "I was devastated."
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
Luring visitors inside with refreshment was a little trick Clare had learned from Brickbane, who’d learned it from Po, who’d learned it from Eddifoot, who’d learned it from the Usher before him, and so on.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
Enlli believes her age meant ovarian cancer wasn't initially suspected, and while she doesn't blame doctors as it was such a rare case, she hopes lessons can be learnt from her story.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
Diagnosed with autism, Arday says he was non-verbal until age 11 and only learnt to read and write at 18, before becoming Cambridge's professor of sociology of education at 37.
From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026
In the wake of the announcement, Magyar said on Facebook that he had learnt of the alleged raid from Fidesz.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
Well I'm sorry, but the lessons have not been learnt.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
Names scattered in a gossip column, authors, artists, actors and their kind, even the mediocre ones, as long as she had learnt of them in print.
From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier
“The beauty of that is that a student almost has a one-on-one tutor,” McMahon said, explaining that AI programs can adjust instruction based on how quickly individual students are learning.
From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026
The researchers then used those results to train a machine learning system, a form of artificial intelligence, to identify the characteristic DNA pattern associated with the initiator.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 23, 2026
After all, after starting in the slot, Feaster took it upon himself to start learning the outside receiver spot.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2026
"Instead of bonding with my newborn and settling into life with two children, I was learning how to survive a stroke," said Becki.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
“Any interest in learning more about the Spirit of the Sea before you go upstairs, dear?”
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
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.
