learn

[ lurn ]

/ lɜrn /

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See synonyms for: learn / learned / learning / learnt on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), learned

[lurnd] /lɜrnd/ or learnt

[lurnt], /lɜrnt/, learn·ing

[lur-ning]. /ˈlɜr nɪŋ/.

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), learned

[lurnd] /lɜrnd/ or learnt

[lurnt], /lɜrnt/, learn·ing

[lur-ning]. /ˈlɜr nɪŋ/.

to acquire knowledge or skill: to learn rapidly.

to become informed (usually followed by of): to learn of an accident.

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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

OTHER WORDS FROM learn

learn·a·ble, adjectivemis·learn, verb, mis·learned or mis·learnt, mis·learn·ing.outlearn, verb (used with object), out·learned or out·learnt, out·learn·ing.re·learn, verb, re·learned or re·learnt, re·learn·ing.

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH learn

learn , teach

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use learn in a sentence

Completing career and technical education is almost always faster and less expensive than studying toward a bachelor’s degree, however, and trainees can earn while they learn.
More people with bachelor’s degrees go back to school to learn skilled trades|Jon Marcus|November 20, 2020|Washington Post
It was around the time he dropped out that he learned of a new video game called “League of Legends.”
The enduring and ongoing legacy of Bjergsen|Noah Smith|November 20, 2020|Washington Post
In East Devon, she learned to hunt with her father and his British Army friends, who taught young Rose to creep through the grass like a soldier.
‘The Woman Who Stole Vermeer’ revisits the strange tale of a British heiress who became a notorious art thief|Katharine Weber|November 20, 2020|Washington Post
That was after some small affiliates learned of their fate via social media.
Nationals have a new Class AAA affiliate in Rochester Red Wings|Jesse Dougherty|November 19, 2020|Washington Post

Wolf said he hopes to learn through discovery how many other women were misled by Kiken.
Woman sues after learning ‘anonymous’ sperm donor was her own fertility doctor|Rachel Weiner|November 19, 2020|Washington Post
German and Spanish were scarcely ever taught; indeed, the former was regarded as quite outside the list of learnable tongues.
It Might Have Been|Emily Sarah Holt

British Dictionary definitions for learn

learn

/ (lɜːn) /

verb learns, learning, learned (lɜːnd) or learnt

(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

Derived forms of learn

learnable, adjective

Word Origin for learn

Old English leornian; related to Old High German lirnen

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with learn

learn

In addition to the idioms beginning with learn

learn by heart
learn one's lesson
learn to live with

also see:

by heart, learn
little knowledge (learning) is a dangerous thing
live and learn

learn

Origin of learn

OTHER WORDS FROM learn

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH learn

Words related to learn

How to use learn in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for learn

Derived forms of learn

Word Origin for learn

Other Idioms and Phrases with learn