- teach
- teachW2S1 [ti:tʃ] v past tense and past participle taught [to:t US to:t]▬▬▬▬▬▬▬1¦(school/college etc)¦2¦(show somebody how)¦3¦(change somebody's ideas)¦4¦(experience shows something)¦5 that'll teach you (to do something)6 teach somebody a lesson7 you can't teach an old dog new tricks8 teach your grandmother (to suck eggs)▬▬▬▬▬▬▬[: Old English; Origin: tAcan 'to show, teach']1.) ¦(SCHOOL/COLLEGE ETC)¦ [I and T]to give lessons in a school, college, or university, or to help someone learn about something by giving them information→↑learn teach at▪ Neil teaches at the Guildhall School of Music in London.teach (sb) English/mathematics/history etc▪ He taught geography at the local secondary school.teach sb (sth) about sth▪ We were never taught anything about other religions.teach sth to sb▪ I'm teaching English to Italian students.teach school/college etcAmE (=teach in a school etc)2.) ¦(SHOW SOMEBODY HOW)¦ [T]to show someone how to do somethingteach sb (how) to do sth▪ My father taught me to swim.▪ different methods of teaching children how to readteach sb sth▪ Can you teach me one of your card tricks?3.) ¦(CHANGE SOMEBODY'S IDEAS)¦ [T]to show or tell someone how they should behave or what they should thinkteach sb to do sth▪ When I was young, we were taught to treat older people with respect.teach sb sth▪ No one ever taught him the difference between right and wrong.teach sb that▪ He taught me that the easy option isn't always the best one.4.) ¦(EXPERIENCE SHOWS SOMETHING)¦ [T]if an experience or situation teaches you something, it helps you to understand something about lifeteach sb to do sth▪ Experience has taught me to avoid certain areas of the city.teach sb that▪ It's certainly taught me that work and money aren't the most important things in life.5.) that'll teach you (to do sth)spoken used when something unpleasant has just happened to someone because they acted stupidly▪ That'll teach you to be late!6.) teach sb a lesson informalif someone or something teaches you a lesson, you are punished for something you have done, so that you will not want to do it again7.) you can't teach an old dog new tricksused to say that older people often do not want to change the way they do things8.) teach your grandmother (to suck eggs)BrE to give someone advice about something that they already know
Dictionary of contemporary English. 2013.