1
a(1)
: to gain knowledge or understanding of or skill in by study, instruction, or experience
learn a trade
learned to play chess
(2)
: memorize
learn the lines of a play
b
: to come to be able
learn to dance
c
: to come to realize
learned that honesty paid
2
a
nonstandard
: teach
b
obsolete
: to inform of something
3
: to come to know : hear
we just learned that he was ill
: to acquire knowledge or skill or a behavioral tendency
were shocked to learn of her death
learner
noun
Can learn mean teach?: Usage Guide
Learn in the sense of "teach" dates from the 13th century and was standard until at least the early 19th.
made them drunk with true Hollands—and then learned them the art of making bargains
—
Washington Irving
Washington Irving
But by Mark Twain's time it was receding to a speech form associated chiefly with the less educated.
never done nothing for three months but set in his back yard and learn that frog to jump
—Mark Twain
Mark Twain
The present-day status of learn has not risen. This use persists in speech, but in writing it appears mainly in the representation of such speech or its deliberate imitation for effect.
Examples of learn in a Sentence
People learn throughout their lives.
I can't swim yet, but I'm learning.
She's interested in learning French.
We had to learn the rules of the game.
I'm trying to learn my lines for the play.
We had to learn the names of the state capitals.
She learned through a letter that her father had died.
I later learned that they had never called.
We finally learned the truth about what had happened.
Recent Examples on the Web
My history and the lessons learned My record of immediately reversing transfers is historically bad, with this season no exception!
—Holly Shand, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2025
One cornerstone is Bayesian optimization, an active-learning strategy that greedily picks the next best experiment.
—Srishti Gupta, Interesting Engineering, 23 Oct. 2025
Some learned of the looming pause to SNAP benefits for the first time when the Free Press reached out.
—Nushrat Rahman, Freep.com, 23 Oct. 2025
This year, during their time in the class, students also participate in volunteer activities, like grave cleaning, to give back to the community while learning about the city’s history, Gavagan said.
—Alyssa N. Salcedo, jsonline.com, 23 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for learn
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Holly Shand, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2025
One cornerstone is Bayesian optimization, an active-learning strategy that greedily picks the next best experiment.
—Srishti Gupta, Interesting Engineering, 23 Oct. 2025
Some learned of the looming pause to SNAP benefits for the first time when the Free Press reached out.
—Nushrat Rahman, Freep.com, 23 Oct. 2025
This year, during their time in the class, students also participate in volunteer activities, like grave cleaning, to give back to the community while learning about the city’s history, Gavagan said.
—Alyssa N. Salcedo, jsonline.com, 23 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for learn
Cite this Entry
“Learn.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/learn. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
learn
verb1
: to gain knowledge or understanding of or skill in by study, instruction, or experience
2
: memorize
learn the lines of a play
3
a
: to come to be able to
learn to swim
b
: to come to realize
4
substandard
: to cause to learn : teach
6
: to acquire knowledge
never too late to learn
learner
noun
Medical Definition
learn
verb
: to acquire (a change in behavior) by learning
: to acquire a behavioral tendency by learning
learner
noun
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