learn
To get new knowledge or skills by studying or practicing.
To acquire knowledge of or skill in something through study, experience, or being taught.
To find out something you did not know before.
To discover information or facts about something that were previously unknown to you.
To do things better in the future because of what happened before.
To change or improve future actions based on past experiences or mistakes.
- Base: learn
- 3rd Person Singular: learns
- Present Participle: learning
- Past: learned, learnt
- Past Participle: learned
learn by heart
1Memorize completely
To remember something word for word so you can say it without looking.
- I had to learn the poem by heart for class.
- She learned all the countries by heart for the quiz.
you live, you learn
1Gain wisdom from life’s mistakes
People understand more about life after making mistakes or having experiences.
- I lost money on that deal, but you live, you learn.
- Well, you live, you learn—that’s how it goes.
learn the ropes
1Become familiar with a task
To understand how to do a job or activity after some practice or experience.
- It took me a few weeks to learn the ropes at my new job.
- She’s still learning the ropes but improving quickly.
learn the ropes
2learn basic rules and procedures
To learn and understand the basic rules and steps of a job, activity, or place.
- It took her a few weeks to learn the ropes in her new job.
- Once you learn the ropes, the software is actually very easy to use.
- He’s still learning the ropes, so try to be patient with him.
live and learn
4gain knowledge from experience or mistakes
Used when you learn something new from an experience, often after making a mistake.
- I didn’t know you could eat that plant—live and learn!
- I didn’t know that would happen—well, you live and learn.
- Well, live and learn; I never thought he could speak Italian.
- He forgot his passport, but you live and learn.