Library / English Dictionary

TEACH

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

Irregular inflected form: taught   

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

An English pirate who operated in the Caribbean and off the Atlantic coast of North America (died in 1718)

Synonyms:

Blackbeard; Edward Teach; Edward Thatch; Teach; Thatch

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Instance hypernyms:

buccaneer; pirate; sea robber; sea rover (someone who robs at sea or plunders the land from the sea without having a commission from any sovereign nation)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Accustom gradually to some action or attitude

Example:

The child is taught to obey her parents

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Hypernyms (to "teach" is one way to...):

accustom; habituate (make psychologically or physically used (to something))

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody to INFINITIVE

Derivation:

teachable (ready and willing to be taught)

teacher (a personified abstraction that teaches)

teacher (a person whose occupation is teaching)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Impart skills or knowledge to

Example:

He instructed me in building a boat

Synonyms:

instruct; learn; teach

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Hypernyms (to "teach" is one way to...):

inform (impart knowledge of some fact, state of affairs, or event to)

Cause:

acquire; larn; learn (gain knowledge or skills)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "teach"):

develop; educate; prepare; train (create by training and teaching)

indoctrinate (teach doctrines to; teach uncritically)

drill (teach by repetition)

catechise; catechize (give religious instructions to)

reinforce; reward (strengthen and support with rewards)

spoonfeed (teach without challenging the students)

induct (introduce or initiate)

mentor (serve as a teacher or trusted counselor)

tutor (be a tutor to someone; give individual instruction)

unteach (cause to disbelieve; teach someone the contrary of what he or she had learned earlier)

unteach (cause to unlearn)

ground (instruct someone in the fundamentals of a subject)

lecture; talk (deliver a lecture or talk)

coach; train (teach and supervise (someone); act as a trainer or coach (to), as in sports)

edify; enlighten (make understand)

condition (establish a conditioned response)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
Somebody ----s somebody something
Somebody ----s something to somebody
Somebody ----s somebody to INFINITIVE
Somebody ----s that CLAUSE

Sentence examples:

The parents teach a French poem to the children

The parents teach the children a French poem

Derivation:

teachable (ready and willing to be taught)

teacher (a personified abstraction that teaches)

teacher (a person whose occupation is teaching)

teaching (the activities of educating or instructing; activities that impart knowledge or skill)

Credits

 Context examples: 

I resigned the belt when I could get no one to fight me for it, and I took to teaching.

(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Teach children that they shouldn't touch guns and that if they see a gun, to leave it alone and tell an adult.

(Gun Safety, NIH)

The Extramural Research Program supports the work of scientists in universities, teaching hospitals, and other organizations outside NCI.

(Extramural Research Program, NCI Thesaurus)

Saturn was teaching you the value of money and asked you to manage with less.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

Yes, you never thought to see me here again, but it was that night which taught me how I could meet you face to face, and alone.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

"Then let old Ebbits teach the white man wisdom," I said softly.

(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)

“I don’t see how I am to teach you,” I made protest.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

Ah, replied the youth, I do so wish I could shudder, but no one can teach me how.

(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)

Such was the home which was to put Mansfield out of her head, and teach her to think of her cousin Edmund with moderated feelings.

(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)

He had never seen dogs fight as these wolfish creatures fought, and his first experience taught him an unforgetable lesson.

(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)