educate

verb ed·u·cate \ ˈe-jə-ˌkāt \

|Updated on: 13 Aug 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: educate in a Sentence

Definition of educate

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

See educate defined for English-language learners

See educate defined for kids

Examples of educate in a Sentence

Parents trust schools to educate their children.
The job of our public schools is to educate.

Recent Examples of educate from the Web

His 6-foot-11 son, Marvin Bagley III, attended Sierra Canyon High, a private school with a tuition of $36,250 that educates the children of Hollywood stars.

— mark zeigler, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Puma jumping into basketball is good for players, but it is good for the game?," 5 July 2018
Healthy, educated and gainfully employed citizens raise healthy families, build healthy communities and support a growing economy.

— miamiherald, "Leigh-Ann Buchanan," 30 June 2018
Hall stars as the first female head trader who uses feminism to navigate her male millionaire counterparts while Cheadle plays a self-educated who leads a tough financial firm.

— niki mcgloster, Essence.com, "The Quick Read: White Man Harasses Black Family, Asks If They Showered Before Entering Hotel Pool," 15 June 2018
Started in 1992 to obtain agricultural work visas for sugarcane cutters and farm workers, the Guatemalan-Maya Center now serves as a nonprofit organization assisting, educating and empowering immigrant communities.

— yutao chen, Sun-Sentinel.com, "For detained immigrant children: pillows stuffed with love," 13 July 2018
That is why it is focused on helping public agencies educate and register voters.

— New York Times, "Nextdoor Is Betting a Social Network Can Still Be a Platform for Politics," 13 July 2018
George Battle III is the top lawyer for a district that educates almost 150,000 students and employs more than 19,000 people.

— ann doss helms, charlotteobserver, "The CMS board gave its lawyer a $28,000 raise, and members say it's overdue," 10 July 2018
In the near future, the academy is hoping to put the booth to use in further educating Kansas City's urban youth.

— shaun goodwin, kansascity, "KC Urban Youth Academy contributing more than just baseball fields," 5 July 2018
There is no issue of more importance than educating our children.

— miamiherald, "Leigh-Ann Buchanan," 30 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'educate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of educate

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

See Words from the same year

educate Synonyms

Synonyms

indoctrinate, instruct, school, teach, train, tutor;

Related Words

coach, mentor;

drill, fit, ground, habilitate, prepare, prime, qualify;

direct, guide, lead, rear;

catechize, lecture, moralize, preach;

implant, inculcate, instill (also instil);

homeschool;

edify, enlighten;

brief, familiarize, impart (to), inform, verse;

initiate, introduce, show;

reeducate, reschool, reteach, retrain;

Synonym Discussion of 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

EDUCATE Defined for English Language Learners

educate

verb

Definition of educate for English Language Learners

: to teach (someone) especially in a school, college, or university
: to give (someone) information about something : to train (someone) to do something

EDUCATE Defined for Kids

educate

verb ed·u·cate \ ˈe-jə-ˌkāt \

Definition of educate for Students

educated; educating

1 : to provide schooling for

Her parents are educating her at home.

2 : to develop the mind and morals of especially by formal instruction : teach

Teachers work hard to educate their students.

3 : to provide with necessary information

The public should be educated about how to save energy.

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educator

\ˈe-jə-ˌkā-tər\ noun

Word Root of educate

The Latin word ducere, meaning “to lead,” and its form ductus give us the roots duc and duct. Words from the Latin ducere have something to do with leading. A duct is a tube that leads from one place or organ to another. To educate, or teach, is to lead to knowledge. To induce is to lead into a particular state.