teach S1 W2 /tiːtʃ/ BrE AmE verb ( past tense and past participle taught /tɔːt $ tɒːt/)
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ teacher , ↑ teaching , TEACHINGS ; verb : ↑ teach ]
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: tæcan 'to show, teach' ]
1 . SCHOOL/COLLEGE ETC [intransitive and transitive] 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 (somebody) English/mathematics/history etc
He taught geography at the local secondary school.
teach somebody (something) about something
We were never taught anything about other religions.
teach something to somebody
I’m teaching English to Italian students.
teach school/college etc American English (=teach in a school etc)
2 . SHOW SOMEBODY HOW [transitive] to show someone how to do something
teach somebody (how) to do something
My father taught me to swim.
different methods of teaching children how to read
teach somebody something
Can you teach me one of your card tricks?
3 . CHANGE SB’S IDEAS [transitive] to show or tell someone how they should behave or what they should think
teach somebody to do something
When I was young, we were taught to treat older people with respect.
teach somebody something
No one ever taught him the difference between right and wrong.
teach somebody that
He taught me that the easy option isn’t always the best one.
4 . EXPERIENCE SHOWS SOMETHING [transitive] if an experience or situation teaches you something, it helps you to understand something about life
teach somebody to do something
Experience has taught me to avoid certain areas of the city.
teach somebody 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 something) spoken used when something unpleasant has just happened to someone because they acted stupidly:
That’ll teach you to be late!
6 . teach somebody a lesson informal if someone or something teaches you a lesson, you are punished for something you have done, so that you will not want to do it again
7 . you can’t teach an old dog new tricks used to say that older people often do not want to change the way they do things
8 . teach your grandmother (to suck eggs) British English to give someone advice about something that they already know
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THESAURUS
▪ teach to give lessons in a school, college, or university:
I taught for a year in France.
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He teaches physics at York University.
▪ lecture to teach in a college or university by giving talks to groups of students on a subject:
He lectures in engineering at a local college.
▪ instruct formal to teach someone how to do something, especially a particular practical skill:
He was instructing them how to use the computer system.
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Staff are instructed in how to respond in the event of a fire.
▪ tutor to teach one student or a small group:
I found work tutoring Mexican students in English.
▪ coach especially British English to give private lessons, especially so that someone can pass an important test:
He coaches students for their university entrance exams.
▪ train to teach a person or group of people in the particular skills or knowledge they need to do a job:
It will take at least a month to train the new assistant.
▪ educate to teach someone over a long period, usually at school or university:
He was educated in England.
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Her parents want to educate her at home.
▪ show somebody the ropes informal to show someone how to do a job or task that they have just started doing:
Miss McGinley will show you the ropes and answer any questions you may have.