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• lear
  lear

  noun

  learning; instruction; lesson.
• Lear
  Lear

  noun

  Edward, 1812–88, English writer of humorous verse and landscape painter.

lear

¹ American  

[leer] / lɪər /

noun

Scot. and North England.

1. learning; instruction; lesson.

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Lear ² American  

[leer] / lɪər /

noun

1. Edward, 1812–88, English writer of humorous verse and landscape painter.

2. (italics) King Lear.

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Lear British  

/ lɪə /

noun

1. Edward. 1812–88, English humorist and painter, noted for his illustrated nonsense poems and limericks

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Etymology

Origin of lear

1350–1400; late Middle English lere lesson, noun use of lere to teach, Old English lǣran; cognate with Dutch leren, German lehren, Gothic laisjan; akin to lore ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

lear Lear

But aiblins, honest Master Heron Had, at the time, some dainty fair one To ware this theologic care on, And holy study; And tired o' sauls to waste his lear on, E'en tried the body.

From Poems and Songs of Robert Burns by Robert Burns

He hath had in his youth some smattering of letters, but now what little lear he had trots all skimble-skamble in his head.

From The White Plumes of Navarre A Romance of the Wars of Religion by S. R. (Samuel Rutherford) Crockett

But aiblins honest Master Heron, Had at the time some dainty fair one, To ware his theologic care on, And holy study; And tir’d o’ sauls to waste his lear on E’en tried the body.

From The Complete Works of Robert Burns: Containing his Poems, Songs, and Correspondence. With a New Life of the Poet, and Notices, Critical and Biographical by Allan Cunningham by Robert Burns

In this braw age o’ wit and lear, Will nane the Shepherd’s whistle mair Blaw sweetly in its native air And rural grace; And wi’ the far-fam’d Grecian share A rival place?

From The Complete Works of Robert Burns: Containing his Poems, Songs, and Correspondence. With a New Life of the Poet, and Notices, Critical and Biographical by Allan Cunningham by Robert Burns

But, if he hae the name o' gear, Ye'll fasten to him like a brier, Tho' hardly he, for sense or lear, Be better than the kye.

From Poems and Songs of Robert Burns by Robert Burns

This decision will find an echo in “King Lear”; Lear, too, cites his age when giving the power to rule his kingdom to his daughters, and both characters live to rue their choices.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 1, 2026

Palantir’s stock trades at 108 times forward earnings expectations, compared with 63 times expected earnings for Centrus Energy, about 14 times for Lennar and about 8 times for Lear, according to FactSet.

From MarketWatch ● Mar. 16, 2026

Pope Francis, Prince Phillip, King Lear - only some of the iconic figures actor Sir Jonathan Pryce has played on-screen and on-stage during career spanning more than 50 years.

From BBC ● Jan. 29, 2026

Shares of suppliers Lear, Aptiv, and Magna International were up 0.3%, 1.7%, and 1%, respectively.

From Barron's ● Jan. 13, 2026

Initially his wife was against building it, but Giebel pushed it because it was a wonderful symbol in a part of the country where subtlety was owning an eight-seater prop instead of a Lear.

From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger