Word
educate
Phoneticsed·u·cate, stress on the first syllable
US/ˈɛdʒəˌkeɪt/
UK/ˈɛdʒuːkˌeɪt/
Definitions
01to teach or train
B1 · Intermediate
v. to teach someone at a school or college, or to give them information about a particular topic.
v. to provide schooling or formal training; to develop the faculties and powers of a person by teaching and instruction.
“The charity works to educate children in rural areas who cannot go to school.”
“The university aims to educate the next generation of engineers by combining theoretical physics with practical laboratory experience.”
Pitfall
The government wants to educate to the children.
The government wants to educate the children.
The verb 'educate' is transitive and takes a direct object without the preposition 'to'.
02to inform about a topic
B2 · Upper Intermediate
v. to give someone the information they need to understand a situation or make a choice.
v. to provide information or training on a specific social, medical, or practical issue to improve public awareness.
“The campaign aims to educate the public about the dangers of smoking.”
“Public health officials are launching a nationwide initiative to educate citizens on the importance of preventative screenings and early detection.”
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “educate” in context.
Adverb
01. highly educate
“The company prefers to hire highly educated professionals for their research department.”
adv + verb
Etymology
From Middle English educaten, from educat(e) (“educated”, also used as the past participle of educaten) + -en (verb-forming suffix), from Latin ēducātus, the perfect passive participle of ēducō (“(of a child, physically or mentally) to bring up, train, nourish; (of a person in learning or art) to rear, educate, train; (plants or animals) to nourish, support, or produce”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), further from an intensive/frequentative formed on ēducō (“lead out, draw out; to raise up, erect”) + -ō.
From Middle English educat(e) (“educated”, also used as the past participle of educaten), borrowed from Latin ēducātus, see -ate (adjective-forming suffix) and Etymology 1 for more.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
VERB
ADJECTIVE
Domain
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B1 PreliminaryIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.4.0–5.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 3.0–3.544–71TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.550–784
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- B1 · IntermediateOxford
- Updated
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