learning
Americannoun
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the act or process of acquiring knowledge or skill.
Students exhibit a clear love of learning, enjoying the relationships they have with their teachers.
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knowledge acquired by systematic study in any field of scholarly application.
She enjoys showing off her learning to her parents.
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Psychology. the modification of behavior through practice, training, or experience.
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Usually learnings. something that is learned through education or experience.
Parents can help set up expectations, nurture curiosity, cultivate discipline, and reinforce learnings.
noun
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knowledge gained by study; instruction or scholarship
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the act of gaining knowledge
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psychol any relatively permanent change in behaviour that occurs as a direct result of experience
Usage
What is a basic definition of learning? Learning is the act of acquiring new knowledge or is the knowledge that has been gained through study. The word learning is also a form of the verb learn. Learning refers to the process of gaining new knowledge or mastering new skills. Let’s say you want to know how to speak Spanish. You might have a Spanish instructor teach you how to speak it or you might read a lot of books about how to speak Spanish. Both of these strategies are examples of learning. Learning is the counterpart to teaching.
- Real-life examples: Schools and colleges are places of learning because students go there to gain new knowledge. Not every child has a love of learning, and many will avoid studying or hate going to school. Compared to other animals, humans are especially good at learning.
- Used in a sentence: We created a video game that makes learning fun.
- Used in a sentence: She is very smart and always manages to impress me with her impressive learning.
Related Words
Learning, erudition, lore, scholarship refer to knowledge existing or acquired. Learning is the most general term. It may refer to knowledge obtained by systematic study or by trial and error: a man of learning; learning in the real world. Erudition suggests a thorough, formal, and profound sort of knowledge obtained by extensive research; it is especially applied to knowledge in fields other than those of mathematics and physical sciences: a man of vast erudition in languages. Lore is accumulated knowledge in a particular field, especially of a curious, anecdotal, or traditional nature; the word is now somewhat literary: nature lore; local lore. Scholarship is the formalized learning that is taught in schools, especially as actively employed by a person trying to master some field of knowledge or extend its bounds: high standards of scholarship in history.
Other Word Forms
- unlearning adjective
Etymology
Origin of learning
First recorded before 900; Middle English lerning, Old English leornung; learn, -ing 1
Explanation
The noun learning can describe that thing that happens when you study for your calculus class and you suddenly understand functions. Learning refers to gaining skills or knowledge, often by studying or being taught by someone. The word learning can be used to mean "the process of acquiring knowledge," like the learning that takes place in your classroom, but it also means the knowledge itself. For example, you’ve probably acquired your worm learning through hours and hours of backyard digging. If you continue to work hard, someone might describe you as a person of great learning, with respect to snails, at least.
Vocabulary lists containing learning
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.
He said he bought it over the weekend after learning about the competition by chance.
From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026
He answers questions when he’s asked, but he’s also learning not to overexplain.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2026
"By learning how to control the power source of our immune cells, we may be able to unlock therapies that are both more natural and more effective."
From Science Daily • Apr. 14, 2026
The film's discovery has taken McFarland on another journey -- learning about the life of his great-grandfather William DeLyle Frisbee.
From Barron's • Apr. 13, 2026
Irian wrinkled her forehead, dredging through her stock of learning.
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
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.
