teach / tēch/ • v. (past taught / tôt/ ) [tr.] show or explain to (someone) how to do something: she taught him to read he taught me how to ride a bike. ∎  [tr.] give information about or instruction in (a subject or skill): he came one day each week to teach painting | she teaches me French. ∎  [intr.] give such instruction professionally: she teaches at the local high school. ∎  [tr.] encourage someone to accept (something) as a fact or principle: the philosophy teaches self-control. ∎  cause (someone) to learn or understand something: she'd been taught that it paid to be passive. ∎  induce (someone) by example or punishment to do or not to do something: my upbringing taught me never to be disrespectful to elders. ∎ inf. make (someone) less inclined to do something: “I'll teach you to mess with young girls!”• n. inf. a teacher.PHRASES: teach someone a lessonsee lesson.teach school be a schoolteacher.

teach don't teach your grandmother to suck eggs proverbial saying, early 18th century; a caution against offering advice to the wise and experienced.
you can't teach an old dog new tricks proverbial saying, mid 16th century; meaning that someone who is already set in their ways is not able to learn new ways of doing things.

teach pt., pp. taught †show; show by way of information or instruction. OE. tǣċan :- *taikjan, rel. to tācen TOKEN.

Teach / tēch/ , Edward, see Blackbeard.