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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

LEARN, v.t. lern.
1. To gain knowledge of; to acquire knowledge or ideas of something before unknown. We learn the use of letters, the meaning of words and the principles of science. We learn things by instruction, by study, and by experience and observation. It is much easier to learn what is right, than to unlearn what is wrong.
Now learn a parable of the fig tree. Matthew 24.
2. To acquire skill in any thing; to gain by practice a faculty of performing; as, to learn to play on a flute or an organ.
The chief art of learning is to attempt but little at a time.
3. To teach; to communicate the knowledge of something before unknown.
Hast thou not learned me how to make perfumes?
[This use of learn, is found in respectable writers, but is now deemed inelegant as well as improper.
LEARN, v.i. lern.
1. To gain or receive knowledge; to receive instruction; to take pattern; with of.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly - Matthew 11.
2. To receive information or intelligence.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: gain knowledge or skills; "She learned dancing from her sister"; "I learned Sanskrit"; "Children acquire language at an amazing rate" [syn: learn, larn, acquire]
2: get to know or become aware of, usually accidentally; "I learned that she has two grown-up children"; "I see that you have been promoted" [syn: learn, hear, get word, get wind, pick up, find out, get a line, discover, see]
3: commit to memory; learn by heart; "Have you memorized your lines for the play yet?" [syn: memorize, memorise, con, learn]
4: be a student of a certain subject; "She is reading for the bar exam" [syn: learn, study, read, take]
5: impart skills or knowledge to; "I taught them French"; "He instructed me in building a boat" [syn: teach, learn, instruct]
6: find out, learn, or determine with certainty, usually by making an inquiry or other effort; "I want to see whether she speaks French"; "See whether it works"; "find out if he speaks Russian"; "Check whether the train leaves on time" [syn: determine, check, find out, see, ascertain, watch, learn]

Merriam Webster's

verb (learned; learning) Etymology: Middle English lernen, from Old English leornian; akin to Old High German lern?n to learn, Old English last footprint, Latin lira furrow, track Date: before 12th century transitive verb 1. a. (1) to gain knowledge or understanding of or skill in by study, instruction, or experience <learn a trade> (2) memorize <learn the lines of a play> b. to come to be able <learn to dance> c. to come to realize <learned that honesty paid> 2. a. nonstandard teach b. obsolete to inform of something 3. to come to know ; hear <we just learned that he was ill> intransitive verb to acquire knowledge or skill or a behavioral tendency Synonyms: see discover • learnable adjective • learner noun Usage: Learn in the sense of “teach” dates from the 13th century and was standard until at least the early 19th <made them drunk with true Hollands—and then learned them the art of making bargains — Washington Irving>. But by Mark Twain's time it was receding to a speech form associated chiefly with the less educated <never done nothing for three months but set in his back yard and learn that frog to jump — Mark Twain>. The present-day status of learn has not risen. This use persists in speech, but in writing it appears mainly in the representation of such speech or its deliberate imitation for effect.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v. (past and past part. learned or learnt) 1 tr. gain knowledge of or skill in by study, experience, or being taught. 2 tr. (foll. by to + infin.) acquire or develop a particular ability (learn to swim). 3 tr. commit to memory (will try to learn your names). 4 intr. (foll. by of) be informed about. 5 tr. (foll. by that, how, etc. + clause) become aware of by information or from observation. 6 intr. receive instruction; acquire knowledge or skill. 7 tr. archaic or sl. teach. Phrases and idioms: learn one's lesson see LESSON. Derivatives: learnable adj. learnability n. Etymology: OE leornian f. Gmc: cf. LORE(1)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Learn Learn, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Learned, or Learnt (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Learning.] [OE. lernen, leornen, AS. leornian; akin to OS. lin[=o]n, for lirn[=o]n, OHG. lirn[=e]n, lern[=e]n, G. lernen, fr. the root of AS. l?ran to teach, OS. l[=e]rian, OHG. l[=e]ran, G. lehren, Goth. laisjan, also Goth lais I know, leis acquainted (in comp.); all prob. from a root meaning, to go, go over, and hence, to learn; cf. AS. leoran to go . Cf. Last a mold of the foot, lore.] 1. To gain knowledge or information of; to ascertain by inquiry, study, or investigation; to receive instruction concerning; to fix in the mind; to acquire understanding of, or skill; as, to learn the way; to learn a lesson; to learn dancing; to learn to skate; to learn the violin; to learn the truth about something. ``Learn to do well.'' --Is. i. 17. Now learn a parable of the fig tree. --Matt. xxiv. 32. 2. To communicate knowledge to; to teach. [Obs.] Hast thou not learned me how To make perfumes ? --Shak. Note: Learn formerly had also the sense of teach, in accordance with the analogy of the French and other languages, and hence we find it with this sense in Shakespeare, Spenser, and other old writers. This usage has now passed away. To learn is to receive instruction, and to teach is to give instruction. He who is taught learns, not he who teaches.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Learn Learn, v. i. To acquire knowledge or skill; to make progress in acquiring knowledge or skill; to receive information or instruction; as, this child learns quickly. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me. --Matt. xi. 29. To learn by heart. See By heart, under Heart. To learn by rote, to memorize by repetition without exercise of the understanding.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(learns, learning, learned, learnt) Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English. Note: American English uses the form 'learned' as the past tense and past participle. British English uses either 'learned' or 'learnt'. 1. If you learn something, you obtain knowledge or a skill through studying or training. Their children were going to learn English... He is learning to play the piano. ...learning how to use new computer systems... Experienced teachers help you learn quickly. VERB: V n, V to-inf, V wh, V, also V about n • learning ...a bilingual approach to the learning of English. N-UNCOUNT 2. If you learn of something, you find out about it. It was only after his death that she learned of his affair with Betty... It didn't come as a shock to learn that the fuel and cooling systems are the most common causes of breakdown... ...the Admiral, who, on learning who I was, wanted to meet me. = find out VERB: V of n, V that, V wh 3. If people learn to behave or react in a particular way, they gradually start to behave in that way as a result of a change in attitudes. You have to learn to face your problem... We are learning how to confront death instead of avoiding its reality. VERB: V to-inf, V wh to-inf 4. If you learn from an unpleasant experience, you change the way you behave so that it does not happen again or so that, if it happens again, you can deal with it better. I am convinced that he has learned from his mistakes... The company failed to learn any lessons from this experience. VERB: V from n, V n from n 5. If you learn something such as a poem or a role in a play, you study or repeat the words so that you can remember them. He learned this song as an inmate at a Texas prison. VERB: V n 6. see also learned, learning 7. to learn something the hard way: see hard to learn the ropes: see rope

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. a. 1. Get a knowledge of, acquire skill in, make one's self acquainted with, make one's self master of. 2. Be informed of, hear, hear of. II. v. n. 1. Get learning, acquire knowledge, gain experience, acquire information, acquire. 2. Be informed, hear.

Moby Thesaurus

absorb, appreciate, apprehend, ascertain, assimilate, attend classes, attend school, awaken to, be informed, be with one, become acquainted with, become alive to, become aware of, become conscious of, broaden the mind, catch, catch on, chance upon, come to know, commit to memory, comprehend, conceive, cram the mind, determine, dig, digest, discover, fathom, find, find out, find out about, follow, gain knowledge, gather, get, get hep to, get hold of, get it, get next to, get the drift, get the idea, get the picture, get wise to, go into training, go to school, grasp, have, have it reported, have it taped, hear of, hit upon, ken, know, learn about, learn by heart, load the mind, master, memorize, pick up information, read, read with, realize, receive instruction, savvy, see the light, seize, seize the meaning, sense, serve an apprenticeship, take, take in, take lessons, train, twig, uncover, undergo schooling, understand