learn

learn

v.

1. To acquire mentally

   acquire, receive, imbibe, get, absorb, assimilate, digest, take in, drink in, pick up, read, master, ground oneself in, peruse, con, pore over, study, gain information, learn by heart, memorize, be taught a lesson, become well-versed in, soak in, collect one's knowledge, improve one's mind, build one's background, get up on*, get the signal*; see also study 1.

2. To find out

   discover, ascertain, discern, uncover, unearth, find out, determine, hear, see, read, detect, come to know, come upon, chance on, chance upon, stumble upon, get wind of*, get wise to*; see also discover.

learn, as considered here, implies a finding out of something, often without conscious effort I learned of their marriage from a friend; ascertain implies a finding out with certainty, as by careful inquiry, experimentation, or research I ascertained the firm's credit rating; determine stresses intention to establish the facts exactly, often so as to settle something in doubt to determine the exact denotation of a word; discover implies a finding out, either by chance or by exploration or study, of something already existing or known to others to discover a star, to discover a plot; unearth, in its figurative sense, implies a bringing to light, as by diligent search, of something that has been concealed, lost, or forgotten to unearth old documents, to unearth a secret