educate

verb

ed·​u·​cate ˈe-jə-ˌkāt How to pronounce educate (audio)
educated; educating

transitive verb

1
a
: to provide schooling for
chose to educate their children at home
b
: to train by formal instruction and supervised practice especially in a skill, trade, or profession
2
a
: to develop mentally, morally, or aesthetically especially by instruction
b
: to provide with information : inform
educating themselves about changes in the industry
3
: to persuade or condition to feel, believe, or act in a desired way
educate the public to support our position

intransitive verb

: to educate a person or thing
Choose the Right Synonym for educate

teach, instruct, educate, train, discipline, school mean to cause to acquire knowledge or skill.

teach applies to any manner of imparting information or skill so that others may learn.

taught us a lot about our planet

instruct suggests methodical or formal teaching.

instructs raw recruits in military drill

educate implies development of the mind.

more things than formal schooling serve to educate a person

train stresses instruction and drill with a specific end in view.

trained foreign pilots to operate the new aircraft

discipline implies training in habits of order and precision.

a disciplined mind

school implies training or disciplining especially in what is hard to master.

schooled the horse in five gaits

Examples of educate in a Sentence

Parents trust schools to educate their children. The job of our public schools is to educate.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Eaddy says the focus of the festival is to entertain, educate and inspire Black story tellers who have a desire to create stories of the struggles and the joys of the Black community. Kamal Morgan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Jan. 2025 Face the facts as to what some Republicans believe about who should be educated, who should have the opportunities to advance themselves, who should have advanced degrees, who should be doctors and lawyers and engineers and scientists. Letters To The Editor, Orlando Sentinel, 17 Jan. 2025 Employers should educate their teams about the capabilities and limitations of AI systems, emphasizing the importance of maintaining human oversight in decision-making. Alonzo Martinez, Forbes, 17 Jan. 2025 The most important thing to Hatch has always been educating the kids. Jennah Pendleton, Sacramento Bee, 17 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for educate 

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, to rear, from Latin educatus, past participle of educare to rear, educate, from educere to lead forth — more at educe

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of educate was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near educate

educand

educate

educated

Cite this Entry

“Educate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/educate. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.

Kids Definition

educate

verb
ed·​u·​cate ˈej-ə-ˌkāt How to pronounce educate (audio)
educated; educating
1
: to provide schooling for
2
a
: to develop the mind and morals of especially by instruction
educator
-ˌkāt-ər
noun

More from Merriam-Webster on educate

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!