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:
Inside the weekly Buddhist meditation session at Hollywood Forever Cemetery that’s using mortality to teach Angelenos how to live.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 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
“It’s totally magical to teach incoming students who are filled with their enthusiasm and the newness of it all,” said Greenblatt, who has taught at Harvard since 1998.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026
Former New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern will teach students about "empathetic leadership" after being hired for a new job at the University of Sydney.
From Barron's ● Oct. 27, 2026
“I once had hope for these children, and tried to teach them as I was taught, but my efforts failed.”
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
Mr. Einhorn is founder and a partner in Capital Midwest Fund and author of “Climate Change: What They Rarely Teach in College.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 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
Teach people to look for the Jacob Young catch.
From Salon ● Nov. 3, 2025
The charity Now Teach, set up by former Financial Times columnist Lucy Kellaway after she trained as a teacher herself at the age of 58, said one solution lay in career changers.
From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2025
“Tricks are for kids. 50 Tricks to Teach Your Dog, by Sophie Collins, call number six-three-six—” “Okay, Ella.”
From "The Son of Neptune" by Rick Riordan
Doran now teaches an esports course at Rowan University in New Jersey.
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026
Part science exhibit, part thrill ride, the shuttle gallery teaches most effectively via emotion.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026
Jackson eventually convinced his school administrators to let him lead a separate class on financial literacy and college preparedness, which he teaches today to high-school seniors.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026
After working for many years in India's luxury hotels, chef Shikha Gupta, who teaches bakery and pastry-making at Vatel, is pleased to see her classes have "as many men as women."
From Barron's ● Oct. 23, 2026
The other winner is a girl in fourth grade who teaches advanced calculus to college kids.
From "The House That Lou Built" by Mae Respicio
"I had no expectations – it just taught me to expect the unexpected," he said.
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026
A filmmaker and professor who taught an ethnographic films course I took in college changed my relationship to the genre with one simple sentence: “The only rule of a documentary is to press record.”
From Salon ● Oct. 28, 2026
“My grandmother told me the truth always outruns a lie. She taught me not to chase the lie, just give the truth time to catch it.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026
Gadi Eisenkot, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s most important challenger in Israel’s election, recently reflected on what military service taught him about leadership.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026
The day unfolded as we taught her the alphabet and refreshed it for Flopears.
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
The leaders of Ralston College attempt to revive our culture by teaching ancient Greek to their humanities grad students.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
The students will also protest against the "endless budget cuts to teaching," Teresi said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026
He stayed, kept teaching and coaching, and waited for his alma mater to give him a chance to lead.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026
Jackson realized early into his personal-finance teaching journey that parents often share the same knowledge gaps as students, which led him to create a “CFO workshop series” for parents.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026
In addition to teaching, König worked in a laboratory in Berlin, where he was busy creating new sabotage equipment.
From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple
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