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Synonyms

teaching

American  
[tee-ching] / ˈti tʃɪŋ /

noun

  1. the act or profession of a person who teaches.

  2. something that is taught.

  3. Often teachings. doctrines or precepts.

    the teachings of Lao-tzu.
teaching British  
/ ˈtiːtʃɪŋ /

noun

  1. the art or profession of a teacher

  2. (sometimes plural) something taught; precept

  3. (modifier) denoting a person or institution that teaches

    a teaching hospital

  4. (modifier) used in teaching

    teaching aids
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • nonteaching adjective
  • self-teaching adjective

Etymology

Origin of teaching

First recorded in 1125–75, teaching is from the Middle English word teching. See teach, -ing 1

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'll be teaching students from all over the world how to use AI to infer the physics of collective motion -- not within a dusty plasma but within a living system," he says.

From Science Daily • Apr. 23, 2026

In August 1973, my wife and I drove from Boston to Austin, Texas, where I was to begin my teaching career at an annual salary of $10,500—exactly the median household income that year.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 21, 2026

Gensler has returned to his teaching post at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

From Barron's • Apr. 18, 2026

Kennedy’s voice had changed when he was teaching at law school in his 40s.

From Slate • Apr. 18, 2026

We’ll be done with our teaching before then, so I’m glad I won’t be expected to eat it.

From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar

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.