lecture

1 of 2

noun

lec·​ture ˈlek-chər 

-shər

1

: a discourse given before an audience or class especially for instruction

2

: a formal reproof

lectureship

ˈlek-chər-ˌship 

-shər-

noun

lecture

2 of 2

verb

lectured; lecturing ˈlek-chə-riŋ 

ˈlek-shriŋ

intransitive verb

: to deliver a lecture or a course of lectures

transitive verb

1

: to deliver a lecture to

2

: to reprove formally

lecturer

ˈlek-chər-ər 

ˈlek-shrər

noun

Synonyms

Verb

• baste
• bawl out
• berate
• call down
• castigate
• chastise
• chew out
• dress down
• flay
• hammer
• jaw
• keelhaul
• lambaste
• lambast
• rag
• rail (at or against)
• rant (at)
• rate
• ream (out)
• rebuke
• reprimand
• reproach
• scold
• score
• tongue-lash
• upbraid

Examples of lecture in a Sentence

Noun

She's planning to give a series of lectures on modern art.

Several hundred people are expected to attend the lecture.

I came home late and got a lecture from my parents.

I gave her a lecture about doing better in school.

Verb

She lectures in art at the local college.

They lectured their children about the importance of honesty.

I lectured her about doing better in school.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The event aims to celebrate psychedelic culture by trading educational panels and lectures for live music, food trucks and art vendors. —Tiney Ricciardi, The Denver Post, 10 June 2024

Free lectures June 14 at MiraCosta MiraCosta College’s Learning is for Everyone (LIFE) group presents two free lectures June 14 at MiraCosta College‘s Oceanside Campus, 1 Barnard Drive. —Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 June 2024

Verb

Paul Shechtman, a longtime New York defense lawyer who lectures at Yale Law School, said that unless there is evidence in a case pointing strongly toward a defendant’s spouse, a jury is unlikely to be sympathetic to an attempt to shift blame. —Benjamin Weiser, New York Times, 30 May 2024

Xi only recently returned from a three-nation tour of Europe, where European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and French President Emmanuel Macron lectured him on the imperative to halt support for Putin’s war machine. —Charlie Campbell, TIME, 17 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, act of reading, from Late Latin lectura, from Latin lectus, past participle of legere

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

circa 1590, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Phrases Containing lecture

• curtain lecture
• lecture hall

Kids Definition

lecture

1 of 2 noun

lec·​ture ˈlek-chər 

-shər

1

: a talk given before an audience or class especially for instruction

2

: reprimand entry 1, scolding

lecture

2 of 2 verb

lectured; lecturing ˈlek-chə-riŋ 

ˈlek-shriŋ

1

: to give a lecture or a series of lectures

2

: to instruct by lectures

3

: reprimand entry 2, scold

lecturer

-chər-ər 

-shrər

noun