Thesaurus.com
Dictionary.com
Definitions

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:

Mathias Clasen, the author of A Very Nervous Person’s Guide to Horror Movies, explains how jumpscares work, and how you can learn to love them—or at least tolerate them.

From Slate ● Oct. 8, 2026

"I'm sorry for what happened. I wish you can learn to forgive me one of these days."

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

Other exchanges and regulators have contacted the LSE to learn about how Pisces works, Simmons said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

“AI should be about giving people more power over their own lives, more tools to create, learn, discover, expand knowledge.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026

“If you’re going to work with the underground, Tante Corrie, you must learn not to ask questions.”

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

There are the now-traditional scenes in which Carrie learns to consciously control her telekinetic superpowers, previously manifested by accidentally setting off car alarms, opening mailboxes and causing a rain of rocks on her parents’ roof.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026

Their weights, or the numeral parameters that the model learns throughout the training process, can be downloaded directly and run locally.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026

After years of war, the mind learns to suppress reactions to danger, she says—a way of protecting the fragments of ordinary life that remain.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026

He fears an art passed down generations could disappear if no-one learns it.

From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026

He follows Buttercup day to day, month to month, as she learns all the ways of curtsying and tea pouring and how to address visiting nabobs and like that.

From "The Princess Bride" by William Goldman

After a training-camp battle, Mestemaker learned that he’d again be buried on the depth chart.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

"We hope that lessons will be learned from Mia's death and that changes will be made to prevent other families enduring the devastation that we now have to live with," they said.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

"I've never learned how to spin a car, you know, in a 180 and stop it on a mark," she said.

From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026

We also learned a bit more about how exactly officials justified their first rate increase in three years.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

It must be that they have learned to understand human dumps—where they spend a great deal of time foraging.

From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen

Gradually, they learnt how it worked and grew confident using it.

From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026

They learnt four dances, practised hard and rehearsed at home to prepare for the event, Fernhill House Care Home said.

From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026

"I have learnt so much, I have met people all around the world, and it has been delightful," she said.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

He added: "We've also learnt that cool heads are needed, even in those most horrific of circumstances."

From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026

He had learnt to think of the painted surface as a piece of glass that you look through.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

On Wednesday night, protesters in the square wept and embraced each other after learning the news.

From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026

I went through this learning experience way back when I was a libertarian youngster and I read “The Triumph of Politics” by President Ronald Reagan’s libertarian budget director, David Stockman.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026

OpenAI said those features have caused an uptick in teen use focused on learning, from study help to advice on their school work.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

“For centuries,” he writes, “people have accepted that literature and learning are among the highest purposes and deepest consolations of human existence.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

But I was getting used to the foul moods, even learning to read them a bit.

From "Glitch" by Laura Martin




Vocabulary lists containing learn


Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Join 14,000,000 vocabulary learners

Start learning new words today on VocabTrainer.
You'll remember them forever.

Start training