DictionaryAI

learn

SayLURN/lɝn//lɜːn/

Verblearns, learning, learned

Noun plurallearns

4 meanings of learn

Practice

  1. 1
    verbtransitive or intransitive
    To gain knowledge of or skill in something through study, experience, or being taught.

    Most kids learn to ride a bike through trial and error.

    She learned calligraphy from an online course over the winter.

    UsageSay learn to swim or learn how to swim. A teacher teaches you; you learn from the teacher.

    Similarmaster, acquire, study

    Oppositeforget, unlearn

  2. 2
    find outverbtransitive or intransitive
    To come to know something or to become informed of it.

    Reporters learn of breaking events through trusted sources.

    He only learned about the merger after it was announced publicly.

    UsageUsually learn of, learn about or learn that: we learned that the shop had closed.

    Similarhear, discover

  3. 3
    act of studynouncountable
    The act or process of learning something.

    Reviewers say the board game is an easy learn but takes months to master, which is part of its charm.

    Switching to the new software turned out to be a longer learn than the team expected, so the launch slipped a week.

    UsageInformal, usually in the singular with an adjective: an easy learn, a quick learn.

Less common meaning

  1. 4
    teachverbdialectaltransitive
    To teach someone, used now only in non-standard speech and dialects.

    Round here, the old folks learn the children to mend nets.

    He learned me everything I know about farming.

    UsageBest known in the joking threat That'll learn him! In standard English, use teach.

    Similarteach, show, instruct

    Note

    The "teach" meaning was once ordinary English. Middle English lernen could mean either side of the lesson, and Shakespeare writes "Hast thou not learn'd me how To make Perfumes?" in Cymbeline.

    Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of learn apart? Answer 4 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

This comes from Middle English lernen ("to learn," and also "to teach"), from Old English leornian, and further back through Proto-Germanic *lizaną to the Proto-Indo-European root *leys- ("track, furrow, trace"). It is related to German lernen and Dutch words for learning, and is connected to the English words lore and lear.

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 8 facts