Word
teach
Phoneticsteach
US/ˈtitʃ/
UK/tˈiːtʃ/
Irregular verb
Forms
Infinitive
teach
Past
taught
Past participle
taught
Definitions
01to give lessons
A1 · Beginner Education
v. to help someone learn a subject or a skill by giving them information or practice.
v. to impart knowledge or skill to a student; often used ditransitively with both a person and a subject as objects.
日本語:教える※
“My father taught me how to ride a bike in the park last summer.”
“The professor taught advanced calculus to the undergraduates, focusing on practical applications in engineering and physics.”
Antonyms
02to work as a teacher
A2 · Elementary Education
v. to have a job as a teacher in a school or college.
v. to follow the profession of a teacher; used intransitively to describe one's occupation.
日本語:教える※
“She has been teaching at the local primary school for ten years.”
“After retiring from the private sector, he decided to teach at the community college to share his industry experience with younger students.”
03to show consequences
B2 · Upper Intermediate
v. to make someone learn a lesson through a bad experience so they do not do it again.
v. to cause an individual to understand the negative consequences of an action through experience or punishment.
“Losing his phone taught him to be more careful with his things.”
“The harsh winter taught the settlers that they needed to store significantly more grain than they had originally anticipated.”
Synonyms
04informal name for a teacher
C1 · Advanced Countable noun Education Informal · Slang
n. a casual way to address or talk about a teacher.
n. An informal term of address or nickname for a teacher.
“Hey Teach, do we have any homework for the weekend?”
“The students affectionately referred to their history instructor as 'Teach' whenever they met him outside the formal classroom environment.”
Synonyms
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “teach” in context.
Usage
The verb is often ditransitive, meaning it can take both a direct object (the subject) and an indirect object (the person).
Pitfall
He learned me how to swim.
He taught me how to swim.
Learners sometimes confuse 'teach' (giving knowledge) with 'learn' (receiving knowledge).
Confusables
Learn is the act of receiving knowledge, while teach is the act of giving it.
RememberStudents learn; teachers teach.
Etymology
Possibly a variant of Thatch or Tack.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
VERB
NOUN
Idioms
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.A1 MoversIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.2.0–3.0TOEFL 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: 1.0–1.50–23TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.120–224
- Frequency
- Common
- Level
- A1 · BeginnerOxford
- Updated
- アルファベット
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/teach
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「日本語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0