tutorial
Americanadjective
noun
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a class in which a tutor gives intensive instruction in some subject to an individual student or a small group of students.
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Computers.
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programmed instruction provided to a user at a computer terminal, often concerning the use of a particular software package and built into that package.
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a manual explaining how to use a particular software package or computer system.
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noun
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of tutorial
1735–45; < Latin tūtōri ( us ) of a guardian + -al 1
Explanation
A tutorial is a teaching session given to one student or a small group of students. If you are stuck in a class, you could use a tutorial. Teachers lead classes, but tutors are educators who also help students, usually one-on-one. Tutors don’t give grades: they just try to help or coach students. A session given by a tutor is called a tutorial. A tutorial could be a one-on-one session in a tutoring center or elsewhere. A tutorial could also be a small group led by a tutor, in which the tutor helps the whole group with math, history, or another topic.
Vocabulary lists containing tutorial
Clap When You Land
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Land of the Cranes
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Suffixes: -al, -ial
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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.
I loved watching him fall in love with Eilish’s screen presence, especially that backstage beat when she gave Cameron a makeup tutorial of how to make her ice-blue eyes pop on camera.
From Los Angeles Times • May 7, 2026
"Curiosity got the better of me and I watched a tutorial… Not that I needed it at all at the time."
From BBC • Apr. 28, 2026
Also see: Howard Marks of asset manager Oaktree makes 180-degree turn on AI after Claude tutorial.
From MarketWatch • Feb. 27, 2026
During the ‘60s we were far better informed, though we did not have the internet. Some argue that the rise in interconnectivity has destroyed our culture. Just watch “Pluribus” if you need a tutorial.
From Salon • Feb. 6, 2026
It was a history lesson and a chess tutorial, but mainly it was an amazing feat of memory.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
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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.