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educate

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

Definition of educate

transitive verb

1a : 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
2a : 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
Other Words from educate Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about educate

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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

 In one session, he and the Knicks’ assistant strength and conditioning coach educated the campers on proper warm-up and stretching routines, nutrition and general health. — K.c. Johnson, chicagotribune.com, "Bulls trainer Jeff Tanaka returns to his roots — with some father-son bonding — during an NBA-conducted camp in Japan," 24 Aug. 2019 Together the group discussed how to increase day care opportunities, make transportation accessible for people without cars and educate parents about nutrition. — Elizabeth Dias, New York Times, "Baby Food, Bassinets and Talk of Salvation: Inside an Evangelical Pregnancy Center," 23 Aug. 2019 Nancy Engle Vanotten suggested the city educate residents on their rights when coexisting with homeless people. — Hillary Davis, Daily Pilot, "Fence planned for Newport Beach bus station as residents’ frustration about homelessness grows," 22 Aug. 2019 But as Wong Sin Kiong of the National University of Singapore has documented, the boycott took off only after American immigration officers began humiliating educated Chinese as well as labourers. — The Economist, "China’s thin-skinned online nationalists want to be both loved and feared by the West," 22 Aug. 2019 The study was conducted last fall by Girls Who Code, a nonprofit organization that educates and supports girls studying computer science, which has 30,000 college-aged alumnae and 17,000 alumnae potentially entering college this fall. — Nitasha Tiku, WIRED, "For Young Female Coders, Internship Interviews Can Be Toxic," 22 Aug. 2019 To this end, calls for the appointment of a National Director of Gun Violence Prevention, which will focus on educating Americans about the dangers of guns, suicide prevention and mental health, among other initiatives. — Greg Hanlon, PEOPLE.com, "Parkland Survivors Unveil 'Bold' Plan to Curb Gun Violence: 'A Public Health Emergency'," 22 Aug. 2019 Community awareness events planned Two community events will be held in the fall to increase awareness and educate, Lepak said. — Erik S. Hanley, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Vaping-related hospitalizations prompt new e-cigarette bans in Cudahy," 21 Aug. 2019 The San Jose event’s purpose is twofold: Organizers hope to both pass along traditions to the next generation while also educating the community about Assyrian heritage. — Randy Vazquez, The Mercury News, "Annual San Jose festival celebrates Assyrian culture," 18 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'educate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of educate

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

History and Etymology for educate

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

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More Definitions for educate

educate

verb
How to pronounce educate (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of educate

: to teach (someone) especially in a school, college, or university
: to give (someone) information about something : to train (someone) to do something

See the full definition for educate in the English Language Learners Dictionary

educate

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

Kids Definition of educate

1 : to provide schooling for Her parents are educating her at home.
2 : to develop the mind and morals of especially by formal instruction : teach Teachers work hard to educate their students.
3 : to provide with necessary information The public should be educated about how to save energy.

Other Words from educate

educator \ ˈe-​jə-​ˌkā-​tər \ noun

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More from Merriam-Webster on educate

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with educate

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for educate

Spanish Central: Translation of educate

Nglish: Translation of educate for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of educate for Arabic Speakers

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