teach
verb (used with object)
to impart knowledge of or skill in; give instruction in.
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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
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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:
While those situations can be hard to deal with in the moment, they can also teach us a lot about the world of work.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
But she left after just a year, because, she said: “I thought I could do more by organizing farmworkers than by trying to teach their hungry children.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026
That’s the kind of math no one can teach you: how to put the living, breathing needs of the people who rely on you ahead of any fantasy.
From Slate ● Oct. 28, 2026
Matherne and Elmer took over after Menand and Greenblatt, who still regularly teach the class, passed the baton in 2023.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026
He would be invited to teach in Paris, in Berlin, in New York City.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
Appeared in the September 9, 2026, print edition as 'What They Teach Teachers in Grad School'.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
Appeared in the May 14, 2026, print edition as 'You Can Teach an Old Drug New Tricks'.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 13, 2026
Eve Graham - who has also been awarded an OBE - and the New Seekers enjoyed international success with tracks like I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing.
From BBC ● Dec. 29, 2025
Teach people to look for the Jacob Young catch.
From Salon ● Nov. 3, 2025
People love to say, “Give a man a fish, and he’ll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish, and he’ll eat for a lifetime.”
From "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" by Trevor Noah
But its collapse signalled the "death knell" for the department store format, said Jana Bowden, who teaches marketing at Macquarie University's Business School.
From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026
Going after Colombian groups on the border is part of this year’s new phase of cooperation between the two countries, said John Polga-Hecimovich, who teaches Latin American politics and military matters at the U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2026
Part science exhibit, part thrill ride, the shuttle gallery teaches most effectively via emotion.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026
About half of the student body at Da Vinci Communications, the public charter school where Jackson still teaches, is economically disadvantaged, according to U.S.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026
He teaches one class a semester, but most of his time is spent in the Biotech Lab, working on the Genome Project.
From "Silent To The Bone" by E.L. Konigsburg
It probably goes all the way back to your childhood and how your parents taught you to think about money.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 5, 2026
As an undergraduate, I was taught that Homo sapiens was one of these branches that emerged in Africa, spread across the world, and displaced every archaic human it encountered.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 5, 2026
But it's also taught me another lesson - if I'm asked again to do something for the cause next year, I will promise to be a little less complacent.
From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026
My CPA background taught me to think in percentages.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 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
After graduation, she plans to work her way up to directing — even if that means taking other jobs such as teaching and working in a restaurant to achieve her dream.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026
He said he’ll be teaching a leadership class at West L.A.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026
"Strategic investment in projects such as the Public Engagement and Discovery Centre are part of a commercial growth strategy to help generate income while providing teaching and research space to further enhance the student experience."
From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2026
The students will also protest against the "endless budget cuts to teaching," Teresi said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026
“I want to stay. The people are good here, and I’m teaching them to read and write.”
From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar
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