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Synonyms

educate

American  
[ej-oo-keyt] / ˈɛdʒ ʊˌkeɪt /

verb (used with object)

educated, educating
  1. to develop the faculties and powers of (a person) by teaching, instruction, or schooling.

    Synonyms:
    indoctrinate, drill, school, instruct
  2. to qualify by instruction or training for a particular calling, practice, etc.; train.

    to educate someone for law.

  3. to provide schooling or training for; send to school.

  4. to develop or train (the ear, taste, etc.).

    to educate one's palate to appreciate fine food.

  5. to inform.

    to educate oneself about the best course of action.


verb (used without object)

educated, educating
  1. to educate a person or group.

    A television program that educates can also entertain.

educate British  
/ ˈɛdjʊˌkeɪt /

verb

  1. (also intr) to impart knowledge by formal instruction to (a pupil); teach

  2. to provide schooling for (children)

    I have educated my children at the best schools

  3. to improve or develop (a person, judgment, taste, skills, etc)

  4. to train for some particular purpose or occupation

"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

Related Words

See teach.

Other Word Forms

  • overeducate verb (used with object)
  • preeducate verb (used with object)

Etymology

Origin of educate

First recorded in 1400–50; Middle English educate, educatyn, from Latin ēducātus “brought up, nurtured, taught” (past participle of ēducāre ), equivalent to ē- + -duc-, variant of dūc- “to lead” + -ātus e- 1, -ate 1

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.

The commission also passed a recommendation that the city should approve an ordinance for language accessibility and educating residents about the new voting system.

From Los Angeles Times

Government lawyers had argued that families who wished to opt out of state-funded education were free to send their children to private school or to educate them at home.

From BBC

As Ellen Carol DuBois relates in “Elizabeth Cady Stanton,” her subject was appalled to realize that, after the Civil War, men of unexalted background were destined to get the vote before educated women like her.

From The Wall Street Journal

“But here we’re trying to build a company for a very long time,” he added, and that in the long term, the company’s goal is to educate “billions” of people.

From MarketWatch

He said he loved her but felt obligated to keep his parents, and the wider public, in the dark until she was properly educated, and he had returned from the Arctic in triumph.

From Literature