teach

teach [ titʃ ] (past tense and past participle taught [ tɔt ] ) verb ***

1. ) intransitive or transitive to help students to learn something in a school, college, university, etc. by giving classes:

How long have you been teaching here?

teach science/math/history etc.: I teach English at the high school.

teach children/teenagers/adults etc.: She teaches children with learning difficulties.

teach something to someone: John teaches English to adult learners.

a ) transitive to help someone to learn a skill by showing them how to do it:

teach someone something: His mother had taught him some words in Spanish.

teach someone (how) to do something: My uncle is going to teach me to drive this summer.

b ) teach school/college etc. AMERICAN to work as a teacher in a school/college etc.

2. ) transitive to change the way someone behaves or the way someone thinks or feels about something:

teach someone something: The experience taught her the importance of having good friends.

teach someone to do something: These children have to be taught to share with others.

I'll teach you to do something SPOKEN

used for saying that you will punish someone for doing something:

I'll teach you to tell me lies!

teach someone a lesson INFORMAL

to punish someone for doing something bad so that they do not do it again

that will teach you (to do something) SPOKEN

used for telling someone that they should have been more careful or should have paid attention to your advice:

That'll teach you to lend her money.

you can't teach an old dog new tricks INFORMAL

used for saying that it is very difficult to make someone do something in a new way when they have been doing it their own way for a long time