learnt
Definition
- Verb (past tense and past participle of ):
- To have acquired knowledge or skill through study, experience, or teaching: "learnt" indicates that the process of learning has been completed in the past.
- To have been informed or become aware of something: "learnt" can mean having received new information.
Usage Examples
- (She acquired the skill through study in the past.)
- (I became aware of this lesson through experience.)
- (They were informed of the news in the past.)
Advanced Usage
"learnt one's lesson": to have understood a mistake and decided not to repeat it.
- After failing the exam, he learnt his lesson and studied harder. (He understood the consequence and changed his behaviour.)
"learnt by heart": to have memorised something completely.
- She learnt the poem by heart for the recitation. (She memorised it exactly.)
Variants and Related Words
Learn (base verb): to gain knowledge or skill.
- Children learn quickly. (Base form used in present tense.)
Learning (noun/gerund): the process of acquiring knowledge.
- Learning a new language takes time. (The act or process of studying.)
Learned (adjective, pronounced /ˈlɜːnɪd/): having much knowledge through study.
- He is a learned scholar. (Describes someone who is educated.)
Synonyms
- Acquired: gained through effort.
- She acquired a new skill. (Synonym for "learnt" in the sense of gaining ability.)
- Discovered: found out something unknown.
- He discovered the truth. (Synonym for "learnt" in the sense of becoming aware.)
Phrasal Verbs
Learn from: to gain knowledge or insight from a source.
- We must learn from our mistakes. (To derive lessons from past errors.)
Learn about: to become informed on a topic.
- I want to learn about history. (To study a subject.)
Related Idioms
Learn the ropes: to become familiar with the basics of a job or activity.
- It took him a month to learn the ropes at the new company. (He became familiar with procedures.)
Live and learn: an expression used when one gains unexpected knowledge from experience.
- I never knew that plant was poisonous — live and learn. (An acknowledgment of a new discovery.)