teach
verb (used with object)
to impart knowledge of or skill in; give instruction in.
teach
1 American
[teech]
/ titʃ /
verb (used with object)
-
teaches,
present (3rd person singular)
-
taught,
past participle, past
-
teaching
present participle
-
to impart knowledge of or skill in; give instruction in.
She teaches mathematics.
- Synonyms:
- coach
-
to impart knowledge or skill to; give instruction to.
He teaches a large class.
- Synonyms:
- coach, indoctrinate, school, drill, discipline, enlighten, inform
verb (used without object)
-
teaches,
present (3rd person singular)
-
taught,
past participle, past
-
teaching
present participle
noun
-
teaches
plural
Teach
2
American
[teech]
/ titʃ /
noun
teach
1
British
/ tiːtʃ /
verb
-
to help to learn; tell or show (how)
to teach someone to paint
to teach someone how to paint
-
to give instruction or lessons in (a subject) to (a person or animal)
to teach French
to teach children
she teaches
-
(tr; may take a clause as object or an infinitive) to cause to learn or understand
experience taught him that he could not be a journalist
-
Also: teach someone a lesson. informal to cause (someone) to suffer the unpleasant consequences of some action or behaviour
Teach
2
British
/ tiːtʃ /
noun
Synonym Usage
Teach, instruct, tutor, train, educate share the meaning of imparting information, understanding, or skill. Teach is the broadest and most general of these terms and can refer to almost any practice that causes others to develop skill or knowledge: to teach children to write; to teach marksmanship to soldiers; to teach tricks to a dog. Instruct almost always implies a systematic, structured method of teaching: to instruct paramedics in techniques of cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Tutor refers to the giving of usually private instruction or coaching in a particular subject or skill: to tutor a child in ( a foreign language, algebra, history, or the like ). Train lays stress on the development of desired behaviors through practice, discipline, or the use of rewards or punishments: to train a child to be polite; to train recruits in military skills; to train a dog to heel. Educate, with a root sense of “to lead forth from,” refers to the imparting of a specific body of knowledge, especially one that equips a person to practice a profession: to educate a person for a high school diploma; to educate someone for the law.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
teachsimple
-
teachessimple
-
have taughtperfect
-
has taughtperfect
-
am teachingprogressive
-
are teachingprogressive
-
is teachingprogressive
-
have been teachingperfect progressive
-
has been teachingperfect progressive
Past
-
taughtsimple
-
had taughtperfect
-
was teachingprogressive
-
were teachingprogressive
-
had been teachingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of teach
First recorded before 900; Middle English techen, Old English tǣcan; akin to token
Explanation
To teach is to transfer ideas or skills to another person. As an old saying goes, "Give someone a fish, they eat for a day, teach someone to fish and they eat for a lifetime." I hope they like seafood. The Old English word tǣcan, which became the Middle English techen, meant "to show or point out." But the Old English also had another word for teach — læran — which eventually became the modern "learn," with the current meaning of receiving knowledge rather than giving it. If someone tries to "teach you a lesson," he or she tries to punish you for something you've done in order that you won't do it again.
Vocabulary lists containing teach
Mother's Day Words: What Mothers Do
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Part 1 Vocabulary (Unit 3)
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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:
Teachers don’t need a master’s in education to teach, though collective-bargaining agreements sometimes entitle them to pay raises if they get one.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
In 2022, Cofnas went to Cambridge to teach the philosophy of biology, after an undergraduate degree in philosophy at Columbia in New York and master’s degrees at Cambridge and Oxford.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
Teachers funded under the scheme have to commit to staying in Northern Ireland to teach for at least two years after they qualify.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
McClements is a student at Ulster University in Coleraine and plans "to teach for a few years" after getting his degree.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
She used to teach middle school social studies way back when, and she said going through the paper each day with her students was always part of her class.
From "Popcorn" by Rob Harrell
As a Teach for America corps member, Laura taught first graders in Houston.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
"Teach pupils for local jobs, Burnham to tell schools", the Guardian writes.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
The PAC’s treasurer is Alex Clark, who met Talarico during their time teaching in San Antonio through Teach for America.
From Salon ● Jun. 17, 2026
Teach the good, the bad, the ugly and the shameful.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 4, 2026
But this is where Teach was different again.
From "Because of Mr. Terupt" by Rob Buyea
Steffensen, a professor of marine biology at the University of Copenhagen, worked with Peter G. Bushnell, who teaches at Indiana University South Bend, and Richard W. Brill of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 23, 2026
Interestingly, history teaches us that it doesn’t seem to matter to the stock market which party dominates in the midterm elections; it tends to rally regardless, once premidterm uncertainty gets resolved.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 22, 2026
"We should be looking at structured intervention, something that teaches responsibility," he said.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
So she teaches them for just under $300.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
“Yes, ma’am. Mama teaches me spelling every night.”
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
The discovery was made by students taking a field course taught by Waters and Charles Cobb, curator of historical archaeology at the museum.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 22, 2026
More specifically, a collective principle being taught to the players is to look to make third-man runs - often off the back of their marker - to receive the ball with time and space.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
In this new installment, Rainier represents a beacon of light for Gemma, a role that taught her a lot, Shaye says.
From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026
The professional requirements of her job made her overly trusting and taught her to accept pain as part of the process.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
Going against everything he knew, everything his father had taught him, he joined the others at the curb, ignoring the smirks and clucking sounds.
From "Storm Runners" by Roland Smith
Steve Chalke, founder of Oasis Academy, which runs more than 50 schools across England, says the heatwaves were a "real inhibitor" to teaching.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
In my weekly teaching visits to New York from Maryland, I choose—for now—to continue taking the subway, going to synagogue, eating at kosher restaurants.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
Following the call, Garratt emailed Horvath confirming that she had been fired from her teaching assignment due to her posts on Facebook.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
"They were teaching me what being a teenager was for them and I was learning all the songs like five years later."
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
Akira tried to sit with her anxiety, letting it wash over her like a wave, the way her therapist had been teaching her.
From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz
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.
