teachings

teachings — noun

1. the work or career of giving lessons and helping students learn, especially in a

1.nounB1
Definition

the work or career of giving lessons and helping students learn, especially in a school, college, or university.

Example

After twenty years, Lotte still finds joy in the daily work of teaching.

uncountable noun: 'the work of teaching'

The university offers a master's degree in teaching for people who want to become teachers.

Common collocations
  • career in teaching
  • go into teaching
  • teaching experience
  • teaching profession
  • teaching practice
Synonyms
  • instruction

    more formal, focuses on the act of giving knowledge rather than the profession

  • education

    broader — includes the whole system, not just the teacher's role

Antonyms
  • learning

    the student's activity, whereas teaching is the teacher's

Usage Note

This sense is uncountable and nearly always used in the singular form 'teaching'. When the headword 'teachings' appears, it almost always belongs to sense 2 (doctrines).

Common Mistakes

I have five years of teachings experience.
I have five years of teaching experience.
When describing the profession, use the singular form 'teaching' as a modifier, not the plural 'teachings'.
She went into teachings after college.
She went into teaching after college.
The profession is 'teaching' (uncountable singular), not 'teachings'.

2. the ideas, principles, or beliefs that a person, group, or tradition passes on t

2.nounB2
Definition

the ideas, principles, or beliefs that a person, group, or tradition passes on to others as guidance for how to live, think, or act — for example, a religious leader's moral lessons or a philosopher's views on society.

Example

The teachings of Gandhi continue to inspire nonviolent movements across the world.

pattern: 'the teachings of [person]' for a leader's body of ideas

Mira's grandmother shared the core teachings of her Buddhist tradition with the children every Sunday.

Common collocations
  • the teachings of Buddha/Christ/Confucius
  • core teachings
  • central teachings
  • ancient teachings
  • follow the teachings of
  • study the teachings of
Synonyms
  • doctrines

    more formal; often suggests official religious or political beliefs that followers must accept

  • principles

    broader — can refer to any fundamental truths that guide behaviour, not necessarily from a leader

  • beliefs

    more general — what someone holds to be true, not limited to what is taught

Usage Note

This sense is almost always used in the plural form 'teachings'. The singular 'teaching' can carry this meaning too ('a key teaching of Buddhism'), but 'teachings' as a plural noun is far more common, especially in the pattern 'the teachings of [person]'.

Common Mistakes

I follow the teaching of Jesus.' (ambiguous between the profession and the doctrines)
I follow the teachings of Jesus.
Use the plural 'teachings' to clearly refer to the set of doctrines or moral lessons.
Idioms

the teachings of someone

idiom

the complete collection of moral, religious, or political ideas that a well-known leader or thinker has left for followers.

The teachings of the Buddha emphasise compassion, mindfulness, and the middle way in daily life.

Emre read a book that compared the teachings of Confucius with those of Socrates.

teachings — adjective

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/2

While 'teachings', 'doctrines', 'principles', 'beliefs', and 'lessons' can all refer to ideas passed on to others, they differ in scope and connotation. 'Teachings' (the focus of this sense) specifically implies a body of ideas handed down by a person or tradition — it carries a sense of authority and legacy, as in 'the teachings of Confucius'. 'Doctrines' is more formal and often suggests official, required beliefs within a religion or political system, such as 'Catholic doctrine'. 'Principles' are fundamental truths that guide behaviour, but they need not come from a single source — 'the principles of democracy' could be assembled from many thinkers. 'Beliefs' is the most general term, covering anything a person holds to be true, whether taught or not. 'Lessons' are narrower, usually referring to specific pieces of wisdom learned from an experience or story — 'the lesson of the fable'. In practice, 'the teachings of X' is the most natural collocation when referring to the complete moral or philosophical legacy of a leader.

doctrines ↗principles ↗beliefs ↗lessons ↗

Common collocations

Phrases

  • the teachings of [someone]
  • the teachings of [faith/tradition]

Prepositions

  • teachings about
  • teachings on
  • teachings of

Etymology

GermanicOld EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word 'teaching' comes from Old English 'tæcan' (meaning 'to show, point out, instruct'), which goes back to a Germanic root meaning 'to show' or 'to point to'. The suffix '-ing' turns the verb 'teach' into a noun describing the activity or its result. The plural form 'teachings' has been used since the late Middle Ages to refer to a collected body of what is taught — not just the profession, but the content itself.

First known use

13th century

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Adjective