teacher
Americannoun
-
teachers
plural
noun
-
a person whose occupation is teaching others, esp children
-
a personified concept that teaches
nature is a good teacher
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of teacher
First recorded in 1250–1300, teacher is from the Middle English word techer. See teach, -er 1
Compare meaning
How does teacher compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
If the guy down the street shows you how to play the guitar and helps you develop a masterful plucking style, then he's your guitar teacher. A teacher is anyone who teaches things. Schools hire people to be teachers, but you don't have to work in a school to be a teacher. You can be a teacher to your children. If you're really good at making pizza, you can be a teacher to an aspiring pizza chef. If you're really passionate about methods of education, then you can become a teacher who teaches teachers how to teach better. Whoa.
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:
In my last few years as a teacher before I retired in 2022, I—along with my fellow educators—were called into the administration office to discuss our grading policies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
The protests started in late September with students blocking entrances to hundreds of high schools for 15- to 17-year-olds over complaints of dilapidated facilities and teacher shortages.
From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026
PE teacher Mark Leadon said Kane was a "real team player" and "wasn't one to keep the ball if a pass was on"
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
The assailant still appears agitated, and the teacher, an older man, continues to stand between the two and shouts “stop” and “calm down” at the agitated student.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
Mr. Grayson was a good teacher who never yelled and who usually let Bat wear his earmuffs if things got too loud.
From "A Boy Called Bat" by Elana K. Arnold
Protesters are demanding the government boost spending on the education system by fixing crumbling infrastructure, reducing class sizes and hiring new teachers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
On Tuesday, more than 260,000 students, parents and teachers took to the streets as protesters blockaded hundreds of high schools.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
At Rafeef's school, one of the teachers, Abdel Raqeeb al-Obaidi, 45, takes us on to the rooftop to show us what he says are Houthi military camps, barracks and sniper positions in the mountains.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
The wave of demonstrations began in September in Paris and has spread across the country, with students protesting over a range of issues, including overcrowded classrooms, run-down buildings, and a lack of teachers.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
Our new school was little more than a series of shacks, like a poor cousin of our old one in Sogakope, and there were never enough teachers.
From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo
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.
