teach

[ teech ]
See synonyms for teach on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object),taught, teach·ing.
  1. to impart knowledge of or skill in; give instruction in: She teaches mathematics.

  2. to impart knowledge or skill to; give instruction to: He teaches a large class.

verb (used without object),taught, teach·ing.
  1. to impart knowledge or skill; give instruction.

noun
  1. Informal. teacher.

Origin of teach

1
First recorded before 900; Middle English techen, Old English tǣcan; akin to token

synonym study For teach

Teach, instruct, tutor, train, educate share the meaning of imparting information, understanding, or skill. Teach is the broadest and most general of these terms and can refer to almost any practice that causes others to develop skill or knowledge: to teach children to write; to teach marksmanship to soldiers; to teach tricks to a dog. Instruct almost always implies a systematic, structured method of teaching: to instruct paramedics in techniques of cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Tutor refers to the giving of usually private instruction or coaching in a particular subject or skill: to tutor a child in ( a foreign language, algebra, history, or the like ). Train lays stress on the development of desired behaviors through practice, discipline, or the use of rewards or punishments: to train a child to be polite; to train recruits in military skills; to train a dog to heel. Educate, with a root sense of “to lead forth from,” refers to the imparting of a specific body of knowledge, especially one that equips a person to practice a profession: to educate a person for a high school diploma; to educate someone for the law.

Other words for teach

Other words from teach

  • o·ver·teach, verb, o·ver·taught, o·ver·teach·ing.
  • pre·teach, verb, pre·taught, pre·teach·ing.
  • re·teach, verb, re·taught, re·teach·ing.
  • un·der·teach, verb, un·der·taught, un·der·teach·ing.

Words that may be confused with teach

Words Nearby teach

Other definitions for Teach (2 of 2)

Teach
[ teech ]

noun
  1. Edward "Blackbeard", died 1718, English pirate and privateer in the Americas.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use teach in a sentence

  • But we were attempting a deliberate naiveté, a decision to approach these books as if they might have something to teach us.

  • The mission is to teach any person to use technology for independence and empowerment no matter where they are located.

  • “It means, my dear, that the Dragoons and the 60th will have to teach these impudent rebels a much-needed lesson,” said her uncle.

    The Red Year | Louis Tracy
  • Woe to the man that first did teach the cursed steel to bite in his own flesh, and make way to the living spirit.

    Pearls of Thought | Maturin M. Ballou
  • Sherwood often wavers between him and Kullak, and Deppe would like to teach Sherwood if he could, simply out of interest for him.

  • I've tried to teach lots of folks; an' sum learns quick, an' some don't never learn; it's jest 's 't strikes 'em.

    Ramona | Helen Hunt Jackson
  • These strange things that Alf has been trying to teach me during the long nights I have learned—I understand.

    The Giant of the North | R.M. Ballantyne

British Dictionary definitions for teach (1 of 2)

teach

/ (tiːtʃ) /


verbteaches, teaching or taught
  1. (tr; may take a clause as object or an infinitive often foll by how) to help to learn; tell or show (how): to teach someone to paint; to teach someone how to paint

  2. to give instruction or lessons in (a subject) to (a person or animal): to teach French; to teach children; she teaches

  1. (tr; may take a clause as object or an infinitive) to cause to learn or understand: experience taught him that he could not be a journalist

  2. Also: teach someone a lesson informal to cause (someone) to suffer the unpleasant consequences of some action or behaviour

Origin of teach

1
Old English tǣcan; related to tācen token, Old Frisian tēken, Old Saxon tēkan, Old High German zeihhan, Old Norse teikn sign

Derived forms of teach

  • teachable, adjective

British Dictionary definitions for Teach (2 of 2)

Teach

/ (tiːtʃ) /


noun
  1. Edward, known as Blackbeard. died 1718, English pirate, active in the West Indies and on the Atlantic coast of North America

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012