educate

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verb ed·u·cate \ˈe-jə-ˌkāt\

Definition of educate

educated

;

educating

transitive verb
1a : to provide schooling for chose to educate their children at homeb : to train by formal instruction and supervised practice especially in a skill, trade, or profession
2a : to develop mentally, morally, or aesthetically especially by instructionb : 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

Choosing to be a journalist in this moment means choosing to take on a great responsibility of educating the masses.

— vanityfair.com, "Trump’s Emotional Roller Coaster Jumps the Tracks," 17 July 2017
Their mission is to provide 100-percent organic meals for families in a health crisis, while empowering youth and educating the community on the link between nutritious foods and improved health.

— Courant Community, "Community News For The Valley Edition," 3 July 2017
Marie, raised on a dairy farm, educated in a one-room country schoolhouse, degreed in engineering at Michigan Tech in Houghton, and employed in Upper Peninsula iron mines for nearly four decades.

— john carlisle, Detroit Free Press, "Quirky U.P. animal swap keeps rural traditions alive," 1 July 2017
Kate Donegan said the addition will allow Meyer to educate more young special education children in-house rather than at Molloy.

— mike isaacs, chicagotribune.com, "Niles Township special ed district plans for increase in satellite classes next year," 30 June 2017
Online presentation featuring Patty Maldonado and Nancy Leve who will discuss how Broward SCORE chapter educates small business owners about financing options and resources.

— cindy kent, Sun-Sentinel.com, "The Planner: Getting back to basics," 30 June 2017
Scott G. Brown has devoted his life to advocating for the rights of LGBTQ people through writing, speaking, and educating people about HIV prevention.

— dean eastmond, Teen Vogue, "What the Stonewall Riots Were Like," 29 June 2017
Now that you're educated on salsa verde, use it for everything.

— rick martinez, Bon Appetit, "4 Types of Salsa Verde to Memorize and Put on Everything," 29 June 2017
Other laws give retired police officers and firefighters a tax break, require schools to educate students about the dangers of heroin and other opioids, and rename two state departments.

— michael dresser, baltimoresun.com, "Maryland to become first state with law to protect Planned Parenthood," 29 June 2017

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

See Words from the same year

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

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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

play

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.