retrain

American  

[ree-treyn] / riˈtreɪn /

verb (used with object)

1. to train again, especially for a different vocation or different tasks.

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verb (used without object)

1. to be retrained.

retrain British  

/ riːˈtreɪn /

verb

1. (tr) to teach (someone) a new skill so that he or she can do a job or find employment

2. (intr) to learn a new skill with a view to doing a job or finding employment

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Other Word Forms

• retrainable
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of retrain

First recorded in 1930–35; re- + train

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

"I had to retrain my brain into realising that people aren't necessarily out to harm me."

From BBC • Apr. 12, 2026

“If they were under that umbrella,” he said, “we could take them off the field, maybe retrain them a little bit, get them back up to speed.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 31, 2026

It may be that you ultimately decide to retrain for another profession.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 9, 2026

“But AI doesn’t leave a convenient gap to move into. Whatever you retrain for, it’s improving at that too.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 12, 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