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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:

Cats rely heavily on scent to learn about one another, often gathering information from urine and other odor marks left behind in their surroundings.

From Science Daily Sep. 20, 2026

The guy then ignores said friend—only to learn that those crypto holdings are going to the moon while his own investments are going nowhere.

From Slate Sep. 20, 2026

Cambridge University player Alex said it has been "cool" to learn the stories of Kansas and ASU and he would probably go to more college games in future "if they're teams we can rally behind".

From BBC Sep. 20, 2026

As Ed Sheeran prepares to continue his Loop tour as scheduled, read on to learn about what led to the controversy surrounding it and the ensuing fallout.

From Los Angeles Times Sep. 19, 2026

‘On the other hand, it might have just been looking for some flies to eat for breakfast – and if that’s the case then I don’t think I want to learn from it, after all.’

From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler

She runs away to a place where she adapts quickly to the creatures around her, and learns how to feel.

From Los Angeles Times Sep. 14, 2026

She added that she enjoys traveling with a group of strangers because she usually learns something new.

From MarketWatch Sep. 10, 2026

Deep Cogito applies several techniques, including large-scale reinforcement learning, in which a model learns through a combination of penalties and rewards.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 26, 2026

In an Instagram post, Grasso said she needed her fans "now more than ever" as she learns more about the mental health condition.

From BBC Aug. 18, 2026

But when she arrives, she learns that the Thirty-Seventh Division has relocated to Malolos.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly

The final terms of the deal with Polymarket couldn’t be learned.

From The Wall Street Journal Sep. 20, 2026

These fans haven’t learned that in this city, there’s three ways to spell Loser.

From Los Angeles Times Sep. 19, 2026

In my decades as a cultural anthropologist studying authoritarianism in Russia and the United States, I’ve learned that one of power’s most useful tricks is making responsibility vanish.

From Salon Sep. 19, 2026

One of Lynn’s former colleagues told him they saw a tail rotor on the ground, and Lynn quickly learned it was Moreno and Marciniw who were onboard.

From Los Angeles Times Sep. 19, 2026

Some girls had learned out of necessity—a French parent—and some had learned via classes in high school.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

"And I feel like I learnt to do that too," she says.

From BBC Sep. 18, 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

"Have we learnt from it? No, I think we're bad at learning… It was so obvious as a Commander that we were heading for strategic failure".

From BBC Sep. 10, 2026

In August the BBC learnt that the Duchess of Sussex was in talks to return to acting following her and Harry's move back to the UK.

From BBC Sep. 2, 2026

So what had Brunelleschi learnt from his peep-show, apart from the difficulties of working with mirrors?

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Understanding Phobos' gravitational field is therefore a critical step toward learning how mass is distributed inside the moon and, in turn, determining how it formed.

From Science Daily Sep. 19, 2026

Brittan died before learning that the police had dropped their investigation and that he had no case to answer.

From BBC Sep. 18, 2026

I was busy learning to do magic tricks with cards with him, making tasty cocktails with his product, riding e-scooters on Olympic Boulevard and watching the Lakers play the Minnesota Timberwolves.

From Los Angeles Times Sep. 18, 2026

The grad students were learning what dementia researchers had suspected for years: With FTD, embarrassment, or shame, disappears.

From The Wall Street Journal Sep. 18, 2026

Book learning is all very well, but as Agatha Swanburne liked to say, “If you want fresh ideas in your head, get some fresh mud on your boots.”

From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood




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