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learn
[ lurn ]
verb (used with object)
- to acquire knowledge of or skill in by study, instruction, or experience:
to learn French;
to learn to ski.
- to become informed of or acquainted with; ascertain:
to learn the truth.
- to memorize:
He learned the poem so he could recite it at the dinner.
- to gain (a habit, mannerism, etc.) by experience, exposure to example, or the like; acquire:
She learned patience from her father.
- (of a device or machine, especially a computer) to perform an analogue of human learning with artificial intelligence.
- Nonstandard. to instruct in; teach.
verb (used without object)
- to acquire knowledge or skill:
to learn rapidly.
- to become informed (usually followed by of ):
to learn of an accident.
learn
/ lɜːn /
verb
- when tr, may take a clause as object to gain knowledge of (something) or acquire skill in (some art or practice)
- tr to commit to memory
- tr to gain by experience, example, etc
- intr; often foll by of or about to become informed; know
- not_standard.to teach
Derived Forms
- ˈlearnable, adjective
Other Words From
- learna·ble adjective
- mis·learn verb mislearned or mislearnt mislearning
- outlearn verb (used with object) outlearned or outlearnt outlearning
- re·learn verb relearned or relearnt relearning
Word History and Origins
Word History and Origins
Origin of learn1
Idioms and Phrases
- by heart, learn
- little knowledge (learning) is a dangerous thing
- live and learn
Example Sentences
Human beings tend to learn more from mistakes than successes, they say, and this year, we are learning a ton.
If you are interested in learning more—for yourself or your executives—please go here, or shoot me a note.
The plan was simple—meet Bill McShae in rural Pennsylvania and learn how to trap star-nosed moles.
I awoke to learn that more than 1,800 buildings were reduced to ashes, less than 35 miles from where I slept.
They were not without merit, though, because with each rejection she learned a little more.
That officer fretting about his “stance,” we learn, is plagued by PTSD that cripples him both on the job and at home.
If nobody on the outside will send Teresa money, should she learn a prison hustle?
Such errors are important because generations of young students now learn American history through film.
In his preface, Solomon suggests that other movements can learn from this one.
He returned home to learn that his 9-year-old son had been awakened in the night by a terrible dream.
It may be fifty or a hundred centuries since men, although they were fully grown up, still went on trying to learn.
Since we are to learn by thinking we must at the outset learn the definition of the three Laws of Thinking.
If one has thoughts to express, it is possible to learn very soon some method of construction.
If they had only been able to learn from the licentiate Alcaraz, who was experienced and very prudent!
When, however, you learn by rote you know the task as you learned it, and not in the reverse way.
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When To Use
What are other ways to say learn?
To learn something is to acquire knowledge of it through study or experience. How does learn compare with discover, ascertain, and detect? Find out on Thesaurus.com.
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.
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