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Practise vs Learn - What's the difference?

practise | learn |

As verbs the difference between practise and learn

is that practise is (transitive|british|canada|australia|new zealand|ireland) to repeat as a way of improving one's skill in that activity while learn is to acquire, or attempt to acquire knowledge or an ability to do something or learn can be .

practise

English

Alternative forms

* practice (standard for noun but incorrect for verb outside US; almost universal for both in American English)

Verb

(practis)
  • (transitive, British, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland) To repeat as a way of improving one's skill in that activity.
    • You should practise playing piano every day.
  • (intransitive, British, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland) To repeat an activity in this way.
    • If you want to speak French well, you need to practise .
  • (transitive, British, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland) To perform or observe in a habitual fashion.
    • They gather to practise religion every Saturday.
  • (transitive, British, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland) To pursue (a career, especially law, fine art or medicine).
    • She practised law for forty years before retiring.
  • (intransitive, obsolete, British, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland) To conspire.
  • To put into practice; to carry out; to act upon; to commit; to execute; to do.
  • * Shakespeare
    • Aught but Talbot's shadow whereon to practise your severity.''
  • * Alexander Pope
    • As this advice ye practise or neglect.
  • To make use of; to employ.
  • * Massinger
    • In malice to this good knight's wife, I practised Ubaldo and Ricardo to corrupt her.
  • To teach or accustom by practice; to train.
  • * Landor
    • In church they are taught to love God; after church they are practised to love their neighbour.

    Usage notes

    * In sense "to repeat an activity as a way improving one's skill" this is a catenative verb that takes the gerund (-ing) . See

    Derived terms

    * practised * practising

    Related terms

    * practic * practicable * practical * practice * practitioner

    External links

    * *

    Anagrams

    *

    learn

    English

    Etymology 1

    From (etyl) lernen, from (etyl) . Compare (etyl) lernen.

    Verb

  • To acquire, or attempt to acquire knowledge or an ability to do something.
  • To attend a course or other educational activity.
  • * 1719 ,
    • For, as he took delight to introduce me, I took delight to learn.
  • To gain knowledge from a bad experience.
    • learn from one's mistakes
  • To be studying.
  • To come to know; to become informed of; to find out.
    • He just learned that he will be sacked.
    Usage notes
    * See other, dated and regional, sense of below.
    Synonyms
    * (l)
    Antonyms
    * (l) * (l)
    Derived terms
    * (l) * (l)

    Etymology 2

    From (etyl) . Compare Dutch leren, German (m).

    Verb

  • *:
  • *:And whan she had serched hym / she fond in the bottome of his wound that therin was poyson / And soo she heled hym/ and therfore Tramtrist cast grete loue to la beale Isoud / for she was at that tyme the fairest mayde and lady of the worlde / And there Tramtryst lerned her to harpe / and she beganne to haue grete fantasye vnto hym
  • *1599 , (William Shakespeare), (Much Ado About Nothing) ,
  • *:Sweet prince, you learn me noble thankfulness.
  • *circa 1611 , (William Shakespeare), (Cymbeline), :
  • *:Have I not been / Thy pupil long? Hast thou not learn’d me how / To make perfumes?
  • *1993 , The Simpsons , (18 Feb. 1993) Lisa's thoughts:
  • *:That'll learn him to bust my tomater.
    • Usage notes
    Now often considered non-standard.
    Derived terms
    * (l)
    Related terms
    * (l) * (l)

    References

    * * * Family Word Finder Readers Digest Association Inc. NY 1975

    Anagrams

    * * English irregular verbs 1000 English basic words ----