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
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(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
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have learnedperfect
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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
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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:
Both families in this case hope other drivers can learn from Bustillos’ mistake.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2026
Survivors face an agonising wait to learn the fate of missing relatives and the prospect of rebuilding their lives from nothing.
From Barron's ● Aug. 30, 2026
"She gave children a love of reading, precious moments with loved ones, and opportunities to learn and dream."
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026
It suggests things I might want to learn about, experience or share with my family.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
And with that thought, with that small understanding, came the desire to learn, to know more not just about wolves but about all things in the woods.
From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen
The schoolboy has been taught a lesson and now we will find out what he learns from it.
From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026
The new framework proposes that the brain learns these recurring patterns and stores them within networks of synapses.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 18, 2026
However, the young woman soon learns that the world of honey isn't as sweet as it seems.
From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026
How much and for whom depends on whether Silicon Valley keeps solving the problems it already knows—or learns to see the ones it doesn’t.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
And when the yarn is dry, everyone learns how to knit.
From "The Light in Hidden Places" by Sharon Cameron
Instead, they learned to develop clear boundaries around audience interactions and clarity on who they wanted to be online – what we called “entanglement management strategies.”
From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2026
Haldia learned of the floods from media reports around midday on Wednesday and immediately tried to call his parents.
From Barron's ● Aug. 29, 2026
“I admire that they learned quickly and they didn’t need a gatekeeper,” Kelly says of the prodigies that have taken this year’s box office by storm.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
"I learned from Andy. I'm not going to do that," the 30-year-old said.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
I’d learned to be nervous of the police.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
The BBC has also now learnt that the world's largest sperm bank, Cryos International, has blacklisted Dogus clinic since 2016.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
He also said he had learnt a lot about food from Dent, particularly Indian cuisine, which is central to Birmingham's culinary scene.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
Diagnosed with autism, Arday had said 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. 15, 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
A moment ago, I learnt from an official that the lights would be switched on 'fairly soon', and so I have decided to sit down here on this bench and await the event.
From "The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro
Vostu eventually petered out, but it was a good learning experience for the budding entrepreneur and investor.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2026
Ospreay credits his diagnosis with giving him clarity and perspective but says he's still learning how to deal with it.
From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026
Teachers with preparation in developmental psychology and classroom management may also be better equipped to respond to behavioral difficulties and provide more productive learning experiences.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 28, 2026
“We believe the decision reflects a deliberate trade-off: preserve customer economics and deployment velocity while using scale, mix and future manufacturing learning to rebuild part of the margin,” Acree writes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
It was how we kissed the summer goodbye before the darkness of learning fell about us.
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
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.
