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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Azevedo said there will be lessons available for all levels. Cathy Kozlowicz, Journal Sentinel, 21 Nov. 2024 Korean brands offer lessons in effectively addressing product criticism and adapting to a broader audience, demonstrating a commitment to growth and serving a diverse clientele. Danielle James, Vogue, 21 Nov. 2024
Verb
Many of those questions are focused on how CrowdStrike has adapted to prevent a similar outage, why only Windows systems were affected, and what lessons other IT vendors can learn from this, Daniel noted. Sam Sabin, Axios, 24 Sep. 2024 Nearing 80-years-old and urged by his wife Grete (Lena Olin) to reduce some of his store of papers, Winton, who never told his family about his role in saving so many refugees, wonders what lessons the scrapbook documenting his work might offer to a wider public. Alissa Simon, Variety, 11 Sep. 2023 See all Example Sentences for lesson 

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 29 Nov. 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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!