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:
Talarico, a former teacher and Presbyterian seminarian, has courted voters with a populist economic pitch blended with an overlay of Christian messaging to “love thy neighbor.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 18, 2026
"People used to compare who had spent more," dance teacher Yuan told AFP at a new retail space in central Shanghai filled with luxury handbags, belts and jewellery items -- all second hand.
From Barron's ● Oct. 18, 2026
Zacharia, meanwhile, received the equivalent of a “see me after class” from the teacher in lieu of a grade.
From Slate ● Oct. 17, 2026
Police said two people—a teacher and a father—heroically intervened to stop a 16-year-old shooter at a Bend, Ore., elementary school, saving others’ lives.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
Now we’d learn if Tansy could go on being teacher or if she’d be turned out.
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
Protesters have been demanding additional investment in their schools, criticising the lack of teachers and staff, overcrowded classrooms and run-down buildings.
From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026
The government has made apparent attempts at concessions, with Education Minister Édouard Geffray promising 3,000 extra supply teachers, during a television interview on 8 October.
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026
With long school holidays, France's teachers have to squeeze their curriculum into 162 days per year, compared to 225 days in neighbouring Germany, according to the OECD.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
But why should students and teachers have to rely on good fortune and courageous passersby for security?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
“Hello. My name is Katherine Coleman. I’m one of the teachers at Carnegie Elementary School.”
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
