train 1 of 2

1
as in entourage
a body of employees or servants who accompany and wait on a person a movie star who never goes anywhere without a train of personal assistants to cater to his every whim and need

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2
as in fleet
a group of vehicles traveling together or under one management a train of supply trucks making its way to the army encampment

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3
as in queue
a series of persons or things arranged one behind another already a long train of ticket buyers waiting outside the stadium

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train

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verb

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3
as in to focus
to fix (as one's attention) steadily toward a central objective train all your thoughts on imagining how you'd score the winning goal in the game

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4
as in to aim
to point or turn (something) toward a target or goal trained his eyes on the distant bull's-eye

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

5
as in to equip
to make competent (as by training, skill, or ability) for a particular office or function he's so experienced that they usually use him to train new recruits

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Synonym Chooser

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

Some common synonyms of train are discipline, educate, instruct, school, and teach. While all these words mean "to cause to acquire knowledge or skill," train stresses instruction and drill with a specific end in view.

trained foreign pilots to operate the new aircraft

When is discipline a more appropriate choice than train?

While the synonyms discipline and train are close in meaning, discipline implies training in habits of order and precision.

a disciplined mind

When could educate be used to replace train?

In some situations, the words educate and train are roughly equivalent. However, educate implies development of the mind.

more things than formal schooling serve to educate a person

When is it sensible to use instruct instead of train?

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

instructs raw recruits in military drill

Where would school be a reasonable alternative to train?

While in some cases nearly identical to train, school implies training or disciplining especially in what is hard to master.

schooled the horse in five gaits

When might teach be a better fit than train?

Although the words teach and train have much in common, teach applies to any manner of imparting information or skill so that others may learn.

taught us a lot about our planet

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of train
Noun
The AirTrain, which connects the airport's terminals and parking lots with train stations in Queens, is already running through the construction site and will stop at the terminal when the facility opens. Leslie Josephs, CNBC, 2 Aug. 2025 Two of its vintage train cars have even made it to the big screen: Both were featured in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer. Ingrid Schmidt, HollywoodReporter, 2 Aug. 2025
Verb
Participants included 15 senior cadet leaders and 18 instructors who trained at the high school and at Olive Peirce Middle School. Cadet Nadeen Willat, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 July 2025 The Miami Dolphins began training camp on Wednesday. Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for train
Recent Examples of Synonyms for train
Noun
  • The devil and his entourage visit Moscow, and Soviet Russia and generations of readers were never the same again.
    Vogue, Vogue, 29 July 2025
  • Waka Flocka Flame and his entourage got caught up in drama this past weekend in New York.
    Armon Sadler, VIBE.com, 22 July 2025
Noun
  • Today, Jet2’s fleet of 120 Boeing and Airbus airplanes scoop up people in search of a wallet-friendly vacation from 13 regional airports around the UK, and drop them off around Europe’s sunny hot spots.
    Julia Buckley, CNN Money, 4 Aug. 2025
  • China Central Television In comparison, the United States currently operates a fleet of 14 Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines, each armed with up to 20 Trident II D5LE nuclear missiles.
    Ryan Chan, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • The weekend is here, which means a fresh batch of movie and TV titles are in the queue.
    DeVonne Goode, Parents, 24 July 2025
  • Following an extensive refurbishment, Walt Disney World’s Test Track has reopened with all new show scenes, on-board narration, vehicles, and queue.
    Carly Caramanna, Travel + Leisure, 24 July 2025
Noun
  • And there were almost no visual effects used when Tim and Millie’s eyes touch in a queasy, skin-crawling sequence.
    Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 30 July 2025
  • Sandler included a tribute for Boyce following a blooper sequence at the end of the film.
    Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 29 July 2025
Verb
  • Firefighters, aided by wind, prepare for fire to shift course Firefighters actively engaged in preparation efforts to limit the fire's chance of spreading to the lodge and store, with the fire inching closer to the store on the east side of the closed State Route 67.
    Rey Covarrubias Jr, AZCentral.com, 29 July 2025
  • The event will help shooters prepare for the statewide Marksmanship Challenge.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 29 July 2025
Verb
  • Apple engineers would teach these suppliers, competing suppliers for different components, how to do quality manufacturing on a huge scale.
    Steve Banker, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2025
  • Interestingly, rose gardens and life teach us many similar, valuable lessons.
    Rita Perwich, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Millions of plays per week translate to incredible success on some of Billboard’s streaming-only tallies, especially the one that’s focused entirely on country music.
    Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2025
  • Biohackers hear lots of conflicting advice about where to focus their energies.
    Tad Friend, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • What’s more, the bulk of the provisions are aimed at making the process of building more housing easier for local governments, changes that could eventually add more supply and ease prices.
    Ana Teresa Solá, CNBC, 1 Aug. 2025
  • Beyond that, Davis aims to beat the averages by astute management of the land.
    William Baldwin, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Train.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/train. Accessed 8 Aug. 2025.

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