lesson
noun · verb
Simple meaning
A part of a course of study, or a task you are given
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
lehsuhnSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈlɛsən
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
A section of learning or teaching into which a wider learning content is divided.
A task assigned for individual study
“He did the lesson for today.”
A learning task assigned to a student; homework.
A section of the Bible or other religious text read as part of a divine service.
A severe lecture; reproof; rebuke; warning.
Something that serves as a warning or encouragement.
verb
To give a lesson to; to teach.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B1 · Intermediate
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A section of learning or teaching into which a wider learning content is divided.
Used this way, lesson is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It turns up most in education or classroom contexts.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Where it naturally appears
- Education/classroom
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use lesson
- “He did the lesson for today.”noun
- “He took driving lessons.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Instruction in the French language.
Instruction in the German language.
A lesson in playing golf.
Instruction in the Hebrew language.
A lesson in the facts of history.
A period of instruction learning a language.
Related Words
Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: section of learning
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.