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learner

American  
[lur-ner] / ˈlɜr nər /

noun

  1. a person who is learning; learn; student; pupil; apprentice; trainee.

ˈlearner British  
/ ˈlɜːnə /

noun

  1. someone who is learning something; beginner

  2. (in South Africa) a school pupil

"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

Etymology

Origin of learner

before 1000; Middle English lerner ( e ), Old English leornere; learn, -er 1

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.

In a statement, the Western Cape regional authorities condemned the "senseless act", saying "no learner should ever face danger while travelling to or from school".

From BBC • Feb. 26, 2026

"I also think the learner drivers are making it dangerous not just for the people living here, but also for cyclists and dog walkers."

From BBC • Jan. 2, 2026

"There is a lot of learner drivers from eight in the morning, and it always seems to be on the school run."

From BBC • Jan. 2, 2026

"You've got learner drivers sometimes spending five to ten minutes reversing into a parking spot," he said, adding that pupils were taken out "early in the morning till late in the evening".

From BBC • Jan. 2, 2026

I was a slow learner, since no cards of any kind had been played at the Beje.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

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.