educate

verb ed·u·cate \ ˈe-jə-ˌkāt \

Updated on: 24 Apr 2018

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

Ace Mask of Brea will be attending for his fifth year, with plans to educate the public about collie dogs.

— jessica peralta, latimes.com, "America’s Family Pet Expo returns to OC Fair & Event Center," 19 Apr. 2018
Sponsored locally by Ipswich Aware, the event is intended to provide a safe and convenient way to responsibly dispose of prescription drugs while educating the public about the potential dangers of abuse.

— david rattigan, BostonGlobe.com, "Ipswich to host Drug Take Back Day," 19 Apr. 2018
White is taking over the reins of the school system that educated her.

— baltimore sun staff, baltimoresun.com, "Who is Verletta White? What you should know about the next Baltimore County schools superintendent," 18 Apr. 2018
Liberatore said that Mayor Georgine Welo, council -- especially through its Tree Commission representative Jane Goodman -- and City Arborist Dean Grida have been supportive of the efforts to educate the public.

— thomas jewell, cleveland.com, "South Euclid Tree Commissioner hosts oak wilt seminar Arbor Day weekend," 17 Apr. 2018
But the pressure to educate the public and find a common language is growing with the threat of greater government oversight.

— rolfe winkler, WSJ, "Silicon Valley to Washington: Why Don’t You Get Us?," 11 Apr. 2018
The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute is being honored for its work to educate the public about civil rights and bridging the gap between law enforcement and the community with the 2017 FBI Director's Community Leadership Award.

— anna beahm, AL.com, "Birmingham Civil Rights Institute awarded 2017 FBI Director's Community Leadership Award," 9 Apr. 2018
Anglea also said the group envisions some type of marketing campaign to educate the public about the various causes of homelessness.

— gary warth, sandiegouniontribune.com, "North County launches regional effort to help homeless," 9 Apr. 2018
Pending companion bills call for better tracking and reporting the diseases; identifying and offering testing to IV drug users at risk of infection; and educating the public.

— laura ungar, The Courier-Journal, "Rampant opioid injection: 'A ticking time bomb' that puts all Americans at risk for disease," 6 Apr. 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.

—

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.