learning
Americannoun
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the act or process of acquiring knowledge or skill.
Students exhibit a clear love of learning, enjoying the relationships they have with their teachers.
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knowledge acquired by systematic study in any field of scholarly application.
She enjoys showing off her learning to her parents.
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Psychology. the modification of behavior through practice, training, or experience.
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Usually learnings. something that is learned through education or experience.
Parents can help set up expectations, nurture curiosity, cultivate discipline, and reinforce learnings.
noun
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knowledge gained by study; instruction or scholarship
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the act of gaining knowledge
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psychol any relatively permanent change in behaviour that occurs as a direct result of experience
Usage
What is a basic definition of learning? Learning is the act of acquiring new knowledge or is the knowledge that has been gained through study. The word learning is also a form of the verb learn. Learning refers to the process of gaining new knowledge or mastering new skills. Let’s say you want to know how to speak Spanish. You might have a Spanish instructor teach you how to speak it or you might read a lot of books about how to speak Spanish. Both of these strategies are examples of learning. Learning is the counterpart to teaching.
- Real-life examples: Schools and colleges are places of learning because students go there to gain new knowledge. Not every child has a love of learning, and many will avoid studying or hate going to school. Compared to other animals, humans are especially good at learning.
- Used in a sentence: We created a video game that makes learning fun.
- Used in a sentence: She is very smart and always manages to impress me with her impressive learning.
Related Words
Learning, erudition, lore, scholarship refer to knowledge existing or acquired. Learning is the most general term. It may refer to knowledge obtained by systematic study or by trial and error: a man of learning; learning in the real world. Erudition suggests a thorough, formal, and profound sort of knowledge obtained by extensive research; it is especially applied to knowledge in fields other than those of mathematics and physical sciences: a man of vast erudition in languages. Lore is accumulated knowledge in a particular field, especially of a curious, anecdotal, or traditional nature; the word is now somewhat literary: nature lore; local lore. Scholarship is the formalized learning that is taught in schools, especially as actively employed by a person trying to master some field of knowledge or extend its bounds: high standards of scholarship in history.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of learning
First recorded before 900; Middle English lerning, Old English leornung; see origin at learn, -ing 1
Explanation
The noun learning can describe that thing that happens when you study for your calculus class and you suddenly understand functions. Learning refers to gaining skills or knowledge, often by studying or being taught by someone. The word learning can be used to mean "the process of acquiring knowledge," like the learning that takes place in your classroom, but it also means the knowledge itself. For example, you’ve probably acquired your worm learning through hours and hours of backyard digging. If you continue to work hard, someone might describe you as a person of great learning, with respect to snails, at least.
Vocabulary lists containing learning
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.
ABC spent $15 million learning that tribute invites more tribute.
From Salon • May 13, 2026
The effort included creating a new department to help students who are still learning English.
From Los Angeles Times • May 13, 2026
He later went on to work with children with learning difficulties, which shaped his education philosophy about prioritising individual differences.
From Barron's • May 13, 2026
The 13-year-old is still years away from learning how to drive.
From BBC • May 12, 2026
Just as Crandell and Mullineaux knew, taking lessons from the past—even the recent past—and combining those with what we are learning today, will help keep us safe tomorrow.
From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone
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.
