past form and past participle
Gained knowledge or a skill by studying, practicing, or having experience.
She learned to play the guitar last year.
I have learned a lot from this course.
American English
How to pronounce learned
verb · adjectiveA1Very common word
LERND
/lɚnd̚/
One syllable.
Form of learn
In American English, learned is the usual form for both the past and past participle of learn.
Gained knowledge or a skill by studying, practicing, or having experience.
What to listen for
As the past form of “learn,” “learned” is pronounced with one syllable: /lɚnd/. The adjective “learned,” meaning well-educated, has two syllables: /ˈlɚ.nɪd/.
Meanings & examples
past form and past participle
Got information about something or became aware that something was true.
He learned about the delay this morning.
We have learned that the store is closed.
adjective
Having a lot of knowledge, especially from study.
The learned professor gave a fascinating lecture.
She is a learned writer with a deep knowledge of history.
Useful expressions
to memorize something exactly
I learned the poem by heart.
to understand something through a difficult experience
She learned the hard way to check the lock.
to improve by thinking about and correcting your mistakes
We all learn from our mistakes.
Related words & forms
The final e is dropped before -ing: learning, not learn + ing.