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learn

[lurn] / lɜrn /




Usage

What are other ways to say learn? To learn is to add to one's knowledge or information: to learn a language. To ascertain is to verify facts by inquiry or analysis: to ascertain the truth about an event. To detect implies becoming aware of something that had been obscure, secret, or concealed: to detect a flaw in reasoning. The verb discover is used with objective clauses as a synonym of learn in order to suggest that the new information acquired is surprising to the learner: I discovered that she had been married before.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is another word for learn?
To learn is to acquire knowledge of something through study and/or experience. The process of acquiring knowledge is called learning. To learn a subject or topic is to gain understanding of it—to grasp it. To learn a skill is to become proficient in it (and perhaps eventually to master it). In many cases, learning is the result of teaching. But learning isn’t always formal, like that done in school. We often learn things by teaching ourselves. Learning often involves working to understand something, but sometimes it happens almost automatically. The informal term pick up is sometimes used in the context of acquiring knowledge or skills in this way, such as through immersion, as in I picked up Italian when I spent two semesters in Rome. Another sense of learn (used in phrases like learn of and learn about) means to become or be made aware of something. This often involves hearing about or being informed about something, but sometimes it is more active. Synonyms for the more active sense include ascertain, detect, and discover.
What is another word for eager to learn?
Someone who is eager to learn often has a thirst for knowledge. Such a person is often inherently curious. Students who are eager to learn are often studious. A more general term is enthusiastic.
What is another word for a quick learner?
A quick or fast learner could be described as a quick study. You could describe such a person as having a quick mind or a ready grasp of something or, more informally, as having a mind like a sponge. Such a person could also be described as perceptive.
Is it learnt or learned?
Learned and learnt are both past tense forms of learn, but learned is far more common, especially in everyday speech.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

If you’re hoping to learn about what’s on display or how adjacent pieces relate, curb your enthusiasm.

From Los Angeles Times Sep. 8, 2026

"Recovery after birth matters, and where women tell us they have not felt listened to, supported or involved in decisions about their care, we expect services to learn from that feedback and act on it."

From BBC Sep. 7, 2026

“It’s creative, it puts defenses in a conflict. Kind of like our players, a lot of excitement to learn everything that Mike knows.”

From Los Angeles Times Sep. 7, 2026

Then there are the cases where a patient pays several thousand dollars, only to learn they owe thousands more.

From The Wall Street Journal Sep. 6, 2026

Gertie and the others also learn of a three-month battle on the peninsula of Bataan, which the Japanese won.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly

"But, as long as the machine that learns how the dogs react to the sample is very consistent... we don't really mind."

From Barron's Sep. 7, 2026

The schoolboy has been taught a lesson and now we will find out what he learns from it.

From BBC Aug. 30, 2026

The new framework proposes that the brain learns these recurring patterns and stores them within networks of synapses.

From Science Daily Aug. 18, 2026

How much and for whom depends on whether Silicon Valley keeps solving the problems it already knows—or learns to see the ones it doesn’t.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 12, 2026

She learns everything I teach her as if she already knows it, said the mother, but this knowledge does not really enter her soul.

From "The Color Purple" by Alice Walker

“It’s long, it’s tiring, but it’s necessary,” LaFleur said, adding that lessons learned from McVay have served him and others well.

From Los Angeles Times Sep. 8, 2026

"I have learned to make several plans to survive tough situations," she said.

From Barron's Sep. 8, 2026

Leah Cottell, who has been leading the study, said the process had been "incredibly time-consuming" but she had learned a lot.

From BBC Sep. 7, 2026

Sister Schubert’s learned the harder lesson: once invented, we would prefer that you not take it away.

From Salon Sep. 7, 2026

And so I learned that love is larger than the walls that shut it in.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

The Army says it is prioritising the training that has been informed by lessons learnt from the war in Ukraine, and is reviewing each request for training on a case-by-case basis.

From BBC Sep. 3, 2026

For those who never learnt as children, Cole says starting later can feel particularly exposing.

From BBC Aug. 31, 2026

She found it so effective that she learnt about other breathing techniques and incorporates them into her work as a life coach.

From BBC Aug. 29, 2026

LIV staff have learnt to put on a brave face.

From BBC Aug. 21, 2026

I learnt a long time ago that when you’re smelling something real good, you only get two or three first-place smells of it afore your nose won’t take no more notice.

From "Elijah of Buxton" by Christopher Paul Curtis

There's also a background questionnaire which asks for information about the students, their homes and their school and learning experiences.

From BBC Sep. 8, 2026

The decline in reading ability is particularly concerning because it is a gateway to learning.

From The Wall Street Journal Sep. 8, 2026

Herbert is learning a new system entering his seventh season in Los Angeles.

From Los Angeles Times Sep. 7, 2026

When rescue dog Chloe is not tumbling across the grass on a farm outside India's tech capital Bengaluru, she is learning to sniff human breath for cancer with a little help from AI.

From Barron's Sep. 7, 2026

It was something I was sure Elliot would start learning about after he broke my mom’s record and became the youngest cadet to level up.

From "Glitch" by Laura Martin




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