retrain
verb · noun
Simple meaning
To train again.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
reetraynSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ɹitˈɹeɪn
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.
verb
ambitransitive
To train again; especially, to train or study in a new subject or job
“He is retraining to become an IT worker.”
noun
An instance of training again.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C2 · Proficient (estimated)
- Frequency
- Rare
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: (ambitransitive) To train again; especially, to train or study in a new subject or job
Used this way, retrain is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“He is retraining to become an IT worker.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Usage note
It most often appears in the pattern “retrain to …”, which is worth copying when you use it.
Natural pattern: retrain to …
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use retrain
- “He is retraining to become an IT worker.”verb
- “We must retrain the linguists who cannot find employment.”verb
Share your sentence
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
Training for a new occupation.
Use This Word
See how this word sounds in a real sentence.
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Use it yourself
Knowing “retrain” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.
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.