Synonyms of teach

teach

verb

ˈtēch 

as in to educate

to cause to acquire knowledge or skill in some field

a master gardener taught us about the basics of organic gardening

Synonyms & Similar Words

• educate
• lesson
• instruct
• school
• indoctrinate
• tutor
• train
• prepare
• coach
• guide
• preach
• mentor
• lecture
• inform
• instill
• drill
• inculcate
• prime
• introduce
• moralize
• qualify
• ground
• lead
• enlighten
• edify
• familiarize
• show
• catechize
• retrain
• habilitate
• initiate
• impart (to)
• direct
• fit
• reteach
• homeschool
• reeducate
• implant
• verse
• rear
• brief
• reschool

Synonym Chooser

How is the word teach different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of teach are discipline, educate, instruct, school, and train. While all these words 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

When can discipline be used instead of teach?

The meanings of discipline and teach largely overlap; however, discipline implies training in habits of order and precision.

a disciplined mind

When is educate a more appropriate choice than teach?

While the synonyms educate and teach are close in meaning, educate implies development of the mind.

more things than formal schooling serve to educate a person

When could instruct be used to replace teach?

The synonyms instruct and teach are sometimes interchangeable, but instruct suggests methodical or formal teaching.

instructs raw recruits in military drill

Where would school be a reasonable alternative to teach?

In some situations, the words school and teach are roughly equivalent. However, school implies training or disciplining especially in what is hard to master.

schooled the horse in five gaits

When is it sensible to use train instead of teach?

The words train and teach are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, train stresses instruction and drill with a specific end in view.

trained foreign pilots to operate the new aircraft

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of teach

Because a small enough cello could not be found, his father taught him cello technique by using a viola. —Elizabeth Marie Himchak, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Nov. 2025

In Bangladesh and India, fishermen teach river otters how to chase prey into fishing nets. —Frederick Dreier, Outside, 11 Nov. 2025

The book—published on this fateful day by American Girl, the company that had long furnished me with the beloved plastic dolls and accompanying literature that taught me simplistic and sanitized stories about our nation’s history—was called The Care and Keeping of You. —Literary Hub, 10 Nov. 2025

That's not what the Bible teaches. —Belinda Luscombe, Time, 10 Nov. 2025