retrain
Americanverb (used with object)
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retrains,
present (3rd person singular)
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retrained,
past participle, past
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retraining
present participle
verb (used without object)
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retrains,
present (3rd person singular)
-
retrained,
past participle, past
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retraining
present participle
verb
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(tr) to teach (someone) a new skill so that he or she can do a job or find employment
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(intr) to learn a new skill with a view to doing a job or finding employment
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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retrainsimple
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retrainssimple
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have retrainedperfect
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has retrainedperfect
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am retrainingprogressive
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are retrainingprogressive
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is retrainingprogressive
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have been retrainingperfect progressive
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has been retrainingperfect progressive
Past
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retrainedsimple
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had retrainedperfect
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was retrainingprogressive
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were retrainingprogressive
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had been retrainingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of retrain
Explanation
To retrain is to teach (or to learn) all new information and skills. Once your dog retires from guarding sheep, you can retrain her to be a visiting therapy dog in nursing homes. When someone loses a job in one industry, a state employment agency can often help to retrain them for new kinds of work. A mill worker might retrain to be a computer programmer, for example. The verb retrain has the "again" prefix re- added to train, "to discipline or teach," a definition that grew out of the meaning "manipulate and shape," the way a gardener trains a vine to grow up an arbor.
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:
Although the settlement establishes a workforce fund to retrain displaced workers, lawyers note it does not block job cuts.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
McDonald’s is launching a hospitality push next month and plans to retrain more than two million global workers starting later this year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
With China's economy slowing and well-paying jobs in traditional sectors harder to come by, many blue-collar workers like Zhang are looking to retrain.
From Barron's ● Jul. 2, 2026
OpenAI’s privacy policy states that it “de-identifies” your information, including prompts, to retrain models — but that doesn’t prevent data leakage if your prompt contained sensitive information.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 1, 2026
Mr. Curtain had wanted to steal his memory, or wipe it away—or whatever it was that might be done to memories—and then retrain him as a Helper.
From "The Mysterious Benedict Society" by Trenton Lee Stewart
Aadil Qureshi, CEO of Heat Geek, which retrains heating engineers to install heat pumps, said it was the right decision and a refocus on green tech was better value for government money.
From BBC ● Jan. 20, 2026
“There is a subtle difference between a rule that retrains NIL compensation and a rule that limits one’s potential to negotiate a NIL agreement,” the judge wrote.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2025
Adecco, which supplies temporary staff and retrains workers as well as finding positions for highly skilled workers, proposed a dividend of 2.50 euros, the same level as in 2020.
From Reuters ● Feb. 24, 2022
“Epic proved at trial that Apple retrains trade...by contractually requiring developers to exclusively use Apple’s App Store to distribute apps and Apple’s IAP for payments for digital content within apps,” the filing reads.
From The Verge ● Jan. 20, 2022
A portraitist retrains his sights on his earlier, broader artistic goals, with sometimes magical results.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 7, 2018
The joint venture has retrained the recommendation algorithm to guard against any future manipulation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
Travelodge said staff were being retrained on security.
From BBC ● Apr. 23, 2026
“I’m hoping that the institute will change and that they’ve retrained the officers as to when they can use force, so this kind of stuff doesn’t happen.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 28, 2026
A former lawyer who had retrained as a baker at a trendy cafe in the Black Sea city, he joined the Ukrainian army a year later.
From Barron's ● Feb. 22, 2026
“Mr. Curtain retrained them with ‘contentment’ messages that tell them not to question anything!”
From "The Mysterious Benedict Society" by Trenton Lee Stewart
Including such individuals in earlier studies may help explain why previous attempts at gait retraining produced inconsistent results.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 11, 2026
The findings, published in August 2025, came from the first randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial to demonstrate the effectiveness of personalized gait retraining for knee osteoarthritis over a full year.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 11, 2026
Those areas include productivity and the retraining of employees, energy and grid infrastructure and capital-heavy to capital-light transitions.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026
McDonald’s said that later this year it will begin retraining its more than two million global restaurant workers, company employees and suppliers, targeting higher standards for hospitality and other functions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
We’re retraining our tongues to Mobutu’s great campaign of authenticité.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
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