Meaning & use
learn
Last updated
Meanings
verbtransitive
To gain knowledge or a skill through study, practice, experience, or teaching.
Grammar: Takes an object: learn a language; the object is the knowledge or skill gained.
Patterns
- learn something
- learn a language
- learn a skill
She is learning Spanish before the exchange trip.
He learned basic repair skills from his grandfather.
The nurse learned the new software in one afternoon.
verbintransitive
To acquire knowledge or ability gradually, without naming the exact thing gained.
Grammar: No object; often followed by about, how to, or a to-infinitive.
Patterns
- learn about something
- learn how to do something
- learn to do something
Children learn by asking questions.
We learned how to budget during our first year of college.
She learned to swim at the community pool.
verbtransitive or intransitive
To find out information, news, or a fact for the first time.
Grammar: Often with of, about, that, or a wh-clause: learn that the flight was delayed.
Patterns
- learn of something
- learn about something
- learn that something is true
We learned that the library would close early.
She learned of the decision from a colleague.
I only learned about the meeting after it ended.
Word forms
| third person singular | learns |
|---|---|
| past tense | learned |
| past tense (British) | learnt |
| past participle | learned |
| past participle (British) | learnt |
| -ing form | learning |
Common combinations
- learn from mistakes
- Good teams learn from mistakes instead of hiding them.
- learn by doing
- You will learn by doing, even if the first attempt is messy.
- learn a language
- It takes patience to learn a language well.
- learn how to cook
- He learned how to cook simple meals on weekends.
- learn about local history
- The class learned about local history by visiting the archive.
Synonyms and how they differ
- study
- Study emphasizes deliberate effort with books or courses; learning is the result.
- master
- Master means learn to a very high level, stronger than basic learning.
- discover
- Discover fits the find out sense, especially facts not known before.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: learn or teach? learn or study?
learn vs teach
Teach means give knowledge or skill; learn means receive or gain it.
learn vs study
Study is the activity; learn emphasizes successful acquisition.
Practice
I ___ myself basic coding from free videos.
Choose one answer.
The reflexive pattern is teach oneself, meaning give yourself instruction. Learned fits gaining knowledge, but I learned myself is not idiomatic English; studied and practiced lack the teaching reflexive meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “learn”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.