lesson

B1 · Intermediate Countable noun

n. an experience that teaches you how to behave better in the future.

n. an experience, often an unpleasant one, that serves as a warning or provides useful knowledge for the future.

“Losing his keys was a hard lesson in the importance of being organized.”

“The company's sudden bankruptcy served as a harsh lesson to investors who had ignored the warning signs in the quarterly reports.”

C1 · Advanced Countable noun Religion Formal

n. a part of the Bible or another holy book read during a church service.

n. a passage from the Bible or other sacred text appointed to be read during a religious service.

“The local doctor was asked to read the first lesson during the Sunday service.”

“The chaplain selected a lesson from the Old Testament that emphasized the themes of reconciliation and forgiveness.”

C2 · Proficiency Archaic · Literary

v. to teach someone or to give them a serious warning about their behavior.

v. to instruct or, more commonly in modern usage, to reprimand or lecture someone as a form of discipline.

“The old man sought to lesson the boy in the ways of the forest.”

“He was sternly lessoned by his father for his repeated absences from the family estate.”