lesson

1 of 2

noun

les·​son ˈle-sᵊn How to pronounce lesson (audio)
1
: a passage from sacred writings read in a service of worship
2
a
: a piece of instruction
b
: a reading or exercise to be studied by a pupil
c
: a division of a course of instruction
3
a
: something learned by study or experience
his years of travel had taught him valuable lessons
b
: an instructive example
the lessons of history
c

lesson

2 of 2

verb

lessoned; lessoning ˈle-sə-niŋ How to pronounce lesson (audio)
ˈles-niŋ

transitive verb

1
: to give a lesson to : instruct
2

Examples of lesson in a Sentence

Noun You can't go out to play until you've finished your lessons. The book is divided into 12 lessons. She took piano lessons for years. political leaders who have failed to learn the lessons of history I've learned my lesson—I'll never do that again! Let that be a lesson to you—if you don't take better care of your toys they'll get broken! Verb would tirelessly lesson the children in proper manners
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Dassault also applied lessons learned from the carbon-fiber wing on its Rafale fighter to its Falcon 10X business jet, which is prepping for flight tests. Basem Wasef, Robb Report, 21 Apr. 2024 That is a hint to one of the most important lessons of the Wintel saga and beyond: Protecting the incumbent business, even in a time of transition, is almost impossible to resist. Bygeoff Colvin, Fortune, 20 Apr. 2024 See all Example Sentences for lesson 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lesson.' 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, from Anglo-French leçon, from Late Latin lection-, lectio, from Latin, act of reading, from legere to read — more at legend

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1555, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of lesson was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near lesson

Cite this Entry

“Lesson.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lesson. Accessed 3 May. 2024.

Kids Definition

lesson

noun
les·​son
ˈles-ᵊn
1
: a part of the Scripture read in a church service
2
a
: a reading or exercise assigned to be studied
b
: something learned by study or experience

More from Merriam-Webster on lesson

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