learn

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: lûn, IPA^(key): /lɜːn/
• (General American) enPR: lûrn, IPA^(key): /lɝn/

• Audio - 'to learn' (UK)

  (file)

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)n

Etymology 1

From Middle English lernen, from Old English leornian, from Proto-West Germanic *liʀnōn. Cognate with German lernen (“to learn”). See also lore.

Verb

learn (third-person singular simple present learns, present participle learning, simple past and past participle learned or (chiefly UK) learnt)

1. To acquire, or attempt to acquire knowledge or an ability to do something.
   • 2016, VOA Learning English (public domain)

     Every day I learn more about this great city.

     Audio (US)

     (file)

   • Acquire definition

     To get. (1 of 4 acquire definitions)

   • Knowledge definition

     The fact of knowing about something; general understanding or familiarity with a subject, place, situation etc. (1 of 12 knowledge definitions)
2. To attend a course or other educational activity.
   • 1719 April 25​, [Daniel Defoe], The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, […], 3rd edition, London: […] W[illiam] Taylor […], published 1719, OCLC 838630407:

     For, as he took delight to introduce me, I took delight to learn.

   • Attend definition

     To listen to (something or someone); to pay attention to; regard; heed. (1 of 10 attend definitions)

   • Educational definition

     Of, or relating to education. (1 of 2 educational definitions)
3. To gain knowledge from a bad experience so as to improve.

   learn from one's mistakes

   • Experience definition

     The effect upon the judgment or feelings produced by any event, whether witnessed or participated in; personal and direct impressions as contrasted with description or fancies; personal acquaintance; actual enjoyment or suffering. (1 of 5 experience definitions)

   • Improve definition

     To make (something) better; to increase the value or productivity (of something). (1 of 5 improve definitions)
4. To study.

   I learn medicine.

   They learn psychology.

   • Study definition

     To review materials already learned in order to make sure one does not forget them, usually in preparation for an examination. (1 of 6 study definitions)
5. To come to know; to become informed of; to find out.

   He just learned that he will be sacked.

   • Know definition

     To perceive the truth or factuality of; to be certain of or that. (1 of 12 know definitions)

   • Inform definition

     To instruct, train (usually in matters of knowledge). (1 of 8 inform definitions)

   • Find Out definition

     To discover, as by asking or investigating. (1 of 3 find out definitions)

Conjugation

Usage notes

• See other, dated and regional, sense of learn below.

Synonyms

• study

Antonyms

• forget
• teach

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

learn (plural learns)

1. The act of learning something
   • 2003, Gregory A. Raymer, The Woodie Chronicles: My Journey Through America on the road t recovery in a 1949 Woodie Wagon:

     I did a quick learn of the place by watching the people shuffle in. There was a healthy mix of beautiful and freaky people, who shared a few common denominators […]

Etymology 2

Possibly related to Middle English leren, from Old English lǣran (“to teach, instruct, indoctrinate”), from Proto-West Germanic *laiʀijan, from Proto-Germanic *laizijaną (“to teach”), from *laizō (“lore, teaching", literally, "track, trace”), from Proto-Indo-European *leys- (“to track, furrow”).

Cognate with Scots lere, leir, Saterland Frisian leere, West Frisian leare, Dutch leren, German lehren, Danish lære, Swedish lära. See also lear, lore. But normally the Middle English word would give lere, not learn.

Verb

learn (third-person singular simple present learns, present participle learning, simple past and past participle learned or learnt)

1. (now only in non-standard speech and dialects) To teach.

   Give him a clip round the ear. That'll learn him!

   • 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, chapter IX, in Le Morte Darthur, book VIII:

     And whan she had serched hym
     she fond in the bottome of his wound that therin was poyson
     And soo she heled hym […]
     and therfore Tramtrist cast grete loue to la beale Isoud
     for she was at that tyme the fairest mayde and lady of the worlde
     And there Tramtryst lerned her to harpe
     and she beganne to haue grete fantasye vnto hym

     (please add an English translation of this quote)

   • 1598–1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “Much Adoe about Nothing”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act IV, scene i]:

     Sweet prince, you learn me noble thankfulness.

   • 1611 April (first recorded performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Cymbeline”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act I, scene v]:

     Have I not been
     Thy pupil long? Hast thou not learn'd me how
     To make perfumes?

   • 1663 April 27 (Gregorian calendar)​, John Bunyan, “Touching Parents”, in Christian Behaviour; or The Fruits of True Christianity. […], London: […] F. Smith, […], OCLC 84773108, page 56:

     […] Take heed of filling their [i.e., children's] heads with VVhimzies, and unprofitable Notions; for this vvill ſooner learn them to be malepert and proud, than ſober and humble.

   • 1993, The Simpsons, (18 Feb. 1993) Lisa's thoughts:

     That'll learn him to bust my tomater.

   • Teach definition

     To show (someone) the way; to guide, conduct; to point, indicate. (1 of 5 teach definitions)

Usage notes

Now often considered non-standard.

Translations

Derived terms

• learned

Related terms

• larn
• lore

References

• learn in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• learn in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913..
• Family Word Finder, Readers Digest Association Inc. NY 1975

Anagrams

• Laren, Larne, laner, neral, renal

Bavarian

Alternative forms

• learnan (Timau)

Etymology

From Old High German lernēn, lirnēn, from Proto-West Germanic *liʀnēn. Compare German lernen, English learn, Dutch leren, Danish lære.

Verb

learn

1. (Sappada, Sauris) to learn

References

• Patuzzi, Umberto, ed., (2013) Luserna / Lusérn: Le nostre parole / Ünsarne börtar / Unsere Wörter [Our Words], Luserna, Italy: Comitato unitario delle isole linguistiche storiche germaniche in Italia / Einheitskomitee der historischen deutschen Sprachinseln in Italien

Scots

Etymology

From Old English leornian.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /lɛrn/

Verb

learn (third-person singular simple present learns, present participle learnin, simple past learnt, past participle learnt)

1. To learn.

   • Learn definition

     To acquire, or attempt to acquire knowledge or an ability to do something. (1 of 5 learn definitions)
2. To teach.