Definition Of Train Verb From The Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

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Definition of train verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

train verb   /treɪn/  /treɪn/Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they train	/treɪn/  /treɪn/
he / she / it trains	/treɪnz/  /treɪnz/
past simple trained	/treɪnd/  /treɪnd/
past participle trained	/treɪnd/  /treɪnd/
-ing form training	/ˈtreɪnɪŋ/  /ˈtreɪnɪŋ/

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1.   [transitive, intransitive] to teach a person or an animal the skills for a particular job or activity; to be taught in this way
   • train somebody/something highly trained professionals
   • badly trained staff
   • Specially trained coaches will provide support at no extra charge.
   • He is well trained to complete any mission that he is given.
   • train somebody/something to do something They train dogs to sniff out drugs.
   • The crew are well trained to deal with emergencies.
   • We trained our sales force to be sensitive to the needs of customers.
   • train somebody as/in/for something The students are being trained for careers in big business.
   • train as/in/for something He trained as a teacher before becoming an actor.
   • All members of the team have trained in first aid.
   • train to do/be something Sue is training to be a doctor.
   see also potty-train, toilet-trainTopics Educationa2, Jobsa2

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2.   [intransitive, transitive] to prepare yourself for a particular activity, especially a sport, by doing a lot of exercise; to prepare a person or an animal in this way
   • I train in the gym for two hours a day.
   • She was unable to train with the squad.
   • train for something athletes training for the Olympics
   • train somebody/something She trains horses.
   • He trains the Olympic team.
   • train somebody/something for something The athletes will be trained for all events.
   Extra Examples
   • The team is training hard for the big match.
   • He's been training seriously for over a year now.
   Topics Sports: other sportsa2, Health and Fitnessa2Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
   • hard
   • intensely
   • seriously
   • …
   preposition
   • for
   See full entry
3. [transitive] to develop a natural ability or quality so that it improves
   • train something An expert with a trained eye will spot the difference immediately.
   • train something to do something You can train your mind to think positively.
4. [transitive] train something (around/along/up, etc.) to make a plant grow in a particular direction
   • Roses had been trained around the door.
5. [transitive] train something at/on somebody/something to aim a gun, camera, light, etc. at somebody/something
   • He carefully trained his gun on the suspect.
Word OriginMiddle English (as a noun in the sense ‘delay’): from Old French train (masculine), traine (feminine), from trahiner (verb), from Latin trahere ‘pull, draw’. Early noun senses were ‘trailing part of a robe’ and ‘retinue’; the latter gave rise to ‘line of travelling people or vehicles’, later ‘a connected series of things’. The early verb sense ‘cause a plant to grow in a desired shape’ was the basis of the sense ‘instruct’.

See train in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee train in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic EnglishCheck pronunciation: train

Other results

All matches

• train noun
• train at
• train on
• train set noun
• boat train noun
• ghost train noun
• goods train noun
• gravy train noun
• potty-train verb
• road train noun
• train wreck noun
• wagon train noun
• bullet train noun
• freight train noun
• toilet-train verb
• stopping train noun
• the Great Train Robbery
• goods train
• train sets
• express train

See more Idioms

• a train of thought
• in somebody’s train
• set something in train
• bring something in its train

Nearby words

• Trailways
• train noun
• train verb
• train at phrasal verb
• trainee noun

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