lecture

1 of 2

noun

lec·​ture ˈlek-chər How to pronounce lecture (audio)
-shər
1
: a discourse given before an audience or class especially for instruction
2
: a formal reproof
lectureship noun

lecture

2 of 2

verb

lectured; lecturing ˈlek-chə-riŋ How to pronounce lecture (audio)
ˈlek-shriŋ

intransitive verb

: to deliver a lecture or a course of lectures

transitive verb

1
: to deliver a lecture to
2
: to reprove formally
lecturer
ˈlek-chər-ər How to pronounce lecture (audio)
ˈlek-shrər
noun

Examples of lecture in a Sentence

Noun She's planning to give a series of lectures on modern art. Several hundred people are expected to attend the lecture. I came home late and got a lecture from my parents. I gave her a lecture about doing better in school. Verb She lectures in art at the local college. They lectured their children about the importance of honesty. I lectured her about doing better in school.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The sesquicentennial celebration will include daily poetry workshops, roundtable discussions, lectures, happy-hour readings, book signings, an open-mic reading and more. The San Diego Union-Tribune Staff, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Mar. 2024 If hosting and sharing my culture with others through writing, cooking classes, interviews, and lectures was my bid to humanize Palestinians, the aftermath of October 7 clarified its limits. Reem Kassis, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 2024 Demo and lecture sessions throughout the event focus on medicinal uses of florals and hanakubari, a type of contemporary Japanese flower arrangement. Chris Richards, Washington Post, 14 Mar. 2024 The lectures and warnings by Biden and administration officials, as well as the stream of leaks in which officials complain about Israel, have been constant from the start of the war. The Editors, National Review, 13 Mar. 2024 How the Medicis Ate Equipped with a doctorate from the University of Exeter, Rocky Ruggiero, an American professor of art history specializing in Renaissance Italy has been running excellent online lectures and tours related to his field of expertise for years. Florence Fabricant, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2024 Others rent the current performance and lecture spaces, helping attract audiences who attend more than 500 performances a year in the existing small venues. Roger Vincent, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2024 What: This two-day event features Irish music and dances, a children's festival, a genealogy expert, lectures on Irish history, and authentic Irish dishes, such as Guinness stew, corned beef sandwiches, homemade scones, soda bread and more. Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 5 Mar. 2024 Miraval Arizona, located in Tucson, has an all-inclusive experience that throws in fitness classes, health and wellness lectures, and spa treatments, among other amenities. Claudia Fisher, Travel + Leisure, 2 Mar. 2024
Verb
Last week, Putin got to lecture millions of Americans by granting an interview to Tucker Carlson. Masha Gessen, The New Yorker, 17 Feb. 2024 Van Hise lectured on eugenics, gave public speeches and talked to legislators. Journal Sentinel, 29 Feb. 2024 Knight also lectures at Texas A&M School of Law and for the State Bar of Texas. James Hartley, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Feb. 2024 Soldiers conducting street raids lecture young men found with small bags of marijuana on the perils of drugs or a life of crime. Annie Correal Federico Rios, New York Times, 7 Feb. 2024 By turns, one of us lectured for the first hour, and the other served as commentator during the class discussion for the second. Bernard Avishai, The New Yorker, 2 Feb. 2024 Putin, who was first elected in 2000 on the promise of making Russia great again, also refused to be lectured about democracy. Corky Siemaszko, NBC News, 16 Feb. 2024 One person who had met with Putin in 2021 described being stunned as the president lectured him for 25 minutes about the threat posed by the U.S. and its allies to Russia. Tribune News Service, Orange County Register, 14 Feb. 2024 No one likes to be lectured, and no one wants to be talked down to. Meghan Leahy, Washington Post, 14 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lecture.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, act of reading, from Late Latin lectura, from Latin lectus, past participle of legere

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

circa 1590, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of lecture was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near lecture

Cite this Entry

“Lecture.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lecture. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

lecture

1 of 2 noun
lec·​ture ˈlek-chər How to pronounce lecture (audio)
-shər
1
: a talk given before an audience or class especially for instruction
2

lecture

2 of 2 verb
lectured; lecturing ˈlek-chə-riŋ How to pronounce lecture (audio)
ˈlek-shriŋ
1
: to give a lecture or a series of lectures
2
: to instruct by lectures
3
lecturer
-chər-ər How to pronounce lecture (audio)
-shrər
noun

More from Merriam-Webster on lecture

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