educate

verb

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

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

Synonyms

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus
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.
The nonprofit sector should leverage this potential wealth transfer by investing time in educating donors about the importance of unrestricted gifts. — Expert Panel®, Forbes, 19 Mar. 2025 The state agencies charged with addressing hard drug addiction and the safe use of cannabis are failing to educate the public as to the dangers of drug use. — Howard Husock, New York Daily News, 19 Mar. 2025 Frank & Eileen prides itself in having a leadership team that is fully female, not to mention supporting the efforts of educating female entrepreneurs of the future. — Stacia Datskovska, WWD, 18 Mar. 2025 Yet, even more inspiring than the athletic success is the story behind the founding and growth of this remarkable school — and the tireless efforts made to cover the cost of educating its students, most of whom are Black and Latino children from low-income families. — Paul Vallas, Chicago Tribune, 18 Mar. 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

Phrases Containing educate

Rhymes for educate

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Browse Nearby Words

educate

Cite this Entry

“Educate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/educate. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.

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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
b
: train entry 2 sense 2a
educator
-ˌkāt-ər
noun

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Nglish: Translation of educate for Spanish Speakers

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