educate

verb

ed·​u·​cate ˈe-jə-ˌkāt How to pronounce educate (audio)
educated; educating

transitive verb

1
a
: to provide schooling for
chose to educate their children at home
b
: to train by formal instruction and supervised practice especially in a skill, trade, or profession
2
a
: to develop mentally, morally, or aesthetically especially by instruction
b
: to provide with information : inform
educating themselves about changes in the industry
3
: to persuade or condition to feel, believe, or act in a desired way
educate the public to support our position

intransitive verb

: to educate a person or thing
Choose the Right Synonym for educate

teach, instruct, educate, train, discipline, school mean to cause to acquire knowledge or skill.

teach applies to any manner of imparting information or skill so that others may learn.

taught us a lot about our planet

instruct suggests methodical or formal teaching.

instructs raw recruits in military drill

educate implies development of the mind.

more things than formal schooling serve to educate a person

train stresses instruction and drill with a specific end in view.

trained foreign pilots to operate the new aircraft

discipline implies training in habits of order and precision.

a disciplined mind

school implies training or disciplining especially in what is hard to master.

schooled the horse in five gaits

Examples of educate in a Sentence

Parents trust schools to educate their children. The job of our public schools is to educate.
Recent Examples on the Web Founded to educate people who had been enslaved, Howard’s mission has been to serve Black Americans who had for generations been systematically excluded from American higher education. Nikole Hannah-Jones, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2024 A day to educate others on the red flags from master manipulators. Jeff Truesdell, Peoplemag, 13 Mar. 2024 In the 18th century, Europeans were divided on whether girls should be educated. E.r. Zarevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Mar. 2024 The Michigan Senate on Tuesday passed a package of bills, 37-1, that would require educators to screen all students for signs of dyslexia and require preparation programs to educate prospective teachers on the disability's characteristics. Lily Altavena, Detroit Free Press, 12 Mar. 2024 But what about the people whose stories were not included in that film, who are dying, who are willing to lose all their energy to educate others? Scott MacFarlane, CBS News, 11 Mar. 2024 All that, plus a visit to the school where all the kids (17 in total) were educated, and pop-up conversations with priests, nuns, principals and other members of Nativity's very active parish community. Victoria Moorwood, The Enquirer, 8 Mar. 2024 Think carefully about how your content will educate, entertain, or enlighten. Jon Stojan, The Arizona Republic, 8 Mar. 2024 Customers choose a cup of joe from a list of countries — Columbia, Guatemala and Mexico — and will be educated on its beans. Brianna Taylor, Sacramento Bee, 2 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'educate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, to rear, from Latin educatus, past participle of educare to rear, educate, from educere to lead forth — more at educe

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of educate was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near educate

Cite this Entry

“Educate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/educate. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

educate

verb
ed·​u·​cate ˈej-ə-ˌkāt How to pronounce educate (audio)
educated; educating
1
: to provide schooling for
2
a
: to develop the mind and morals of especially by instruction
educator
-ˌkāt-ər
noun

More from Merriam-Webster on educate

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