learn

learn
learn
W1S1 [lə:n US lə:rn] v past tense and past participle learned or learnt [lə:nt US lə:rnt] especially BrE
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1¦(subject/skill)¦
2¦(find out)¦
3¦(remember)¦
4¦(change your behaviour)¦
5 somebody has learned their lesson
6 learn (something) the hard way
7 that'll learn somebody!
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[: Old English; Origin: leornian]
1.) ¦(SUBJECT/SKILL)¦ [I and T]
to gain knowledge of a subject or skill, by experience, by studying it, or by being taught
→↑teach
▪ What's the best way to learn a language?
learn (how) to do sth
▪ I learnt to drive when I was 17.
▪ Hector spent the winter learning how to cope with his blindness.
▪ The teacher's task is to help the pupil learn.
learn (sth) from sb
▪ I learned a lot from my father.
learn about
▪ Kids can have fun and learn about music at the same time.
learn what
▪ Youngsters must learn what is dangerous and what is not to be feared.
▪ The student will learn from experience about the importance of planning.
2.) ¦(FIND OUT)¦ [I and T] formal
to find out information or news by hearing it from someone else or reading it
▪ I didn't tell her the truth. She would learn it for herself soon enough.
learn of/about
▪ He learned about his appointment by telephone yesterday.
learn (that)
▪ Last week I learned that I was pregnant.
▪ She was surprised to learn that he was a lot older than she had thought.
learn whether/who/why
▪ I waited to learn whether I'd secured a college place.
▪ We have yet to learn who will be the new manager.
3.) ¦(REMEMBER)¦ [T]
to get to know something so well that you can easily remember it
▪ The actors hardly had time to learn their lines before filming started.
4.) ¦(CHANGE YOUR BEHAVIOUR)¦ [I and T]
to gradually understand a situation and start behaving in the way that you should
learn (that)
▪ They have to learn that they can't just do whatever they like.
learn to do sth
▪ Young hairdressers must learn to treat the client as a person, not a head of hair.
▪ I've told him a hundred times not to bully people, but he never learns .
learn from
▪ You have to learn from your mistakes (=understand why what you did was wrong) .
▪ the lessons learned in the Gulf War
5.) sb has learned their lesson
used to say that someone will not do something wrong or stupid again, because they suffered as a result
▪ I've learned my lesson; I've now got a burglar alarm and a guard dog.
6.) learn (sth) the hard way
to understand a situation or develop a skill by learning from your mistakes and bad experiences
7.) that'll learn sb!
spoken used when something bad has just happened to someone as a result of their actions, especially when they ignored a warning
→live and learn at ↑live1 (20)
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HINT sense 1
Do not say that you 'learn someone something' or 'learn someone how to do something'. Use teach: I taught him how to send an e-mail.
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Dictionary of contemporary English. 2013.

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  • learn — [ lɜrn ] (past tense and past participle learned [ lɜrnt ] ) verb *** 1. ) intransitive or transitive to gain knowledge or experience of something, for example by being taught: a bright girl who is already learning the alphabet research into how… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • Learn — (l[ e]rn), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Learned} (l[ e]rnd), or {Learnt} (l[ e]rnt); p. pr. & vb. n. {Learning}.] [OE. lernen, leornen, AS. leornian; akin to OS. lin[=o]n, for lirn[=o]n, OHG. lirn[=e]n, lern[=e]n, G. lernen, fr. the root of AS. l[=ae]ran …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • learn — learn; learn·able; learn·er; learn·ing; re·learn; un·learn; …   English syllables

  • learn — [lʉrn] vt. learned or Chiefly Brit. learnt, learning [ME lernen, to learn, teach < OE leornian (akin to Ger lernen) < WGmc * liznōn (akin to Goth laisjan, to teach) < IE base * leis , track, furrow > L lira, furrow] 1. to get… …   English World dictionary

  • Learn — Learn, v. i. To acquire knowledge or skill; to make progress in acquiring knowledge or skill; to receive information or instruction; as, this child learns quickly. [1913 Webster] Take my yoke upon you and learn of me. Matt. xi. 29. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • learn — lərn vb, learned lərnd, lərnt also learnt lərnt; learn·ing vt to acquire (a change in behavior) by learning vi to acquire a behavioral tendency by learning learn·er n …   Medical dictionary

  • learn´ed|ly — learn|ed «LUR nihd», adjective. showing or requiring knowledge; scholarly; erudite: »a learned professor, learned pursuits. SYNONYM(S): educated. –learn´ed|ly, adverb. –learn´ed|ness, noun …   Useful english dictionary

  • learn|ed — «LUR nihd», adjective. showing or requiring knowledge; scholarly; erudite: »a learned professor, learned pursuits. SYNONYM(S): educated. –learn´ed|ly, adverb. –learn´ed|ness, noun …   Useful english dictionary

  • learn — (v.) O.E. leornian to get knowledge, be cultivated, study, read, think about, from P.Gmc. *liznojan (Cf. O.Fris. lernia, M.Du. leeren, Du. leren, O.H.G. lernen, Ger. lernen to learn, Goth. lais I know ), with a base sense of to follow or find the …   Etymology dictionary

  • learn — verb. 1. The past form and past participle are in BrE either learned (pronounced lernd or lernt) or learnt (pronounced lernt); learned is more usual as the past form and, in AmE, as both past form and past participle. Examples: • So, what was… …   Modern English usage

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