training

training — noun

1. the learning and practice of skills and knowledge that prepare a person for a sp

1.nounB1
Definition

the learning and practice of skills and knowledge that prepare a person for a specific job, trade, or activity

Example

The company provides on-the-job training for all new staff in the customer service department.

collocation: on-the-job training

Eitan completed a six-month training programme in electrical engineering before starting his job.

training programme in [subject]

Common collocations
  • job training
  • staff training
  • vocational training
  • teacher training
  • training course
  • training programme
  • training session
  • on-the-job training
  • formal training
  • receive training
  • provide training
  • undergo training
Synonyms
  • instruction

    more focused on step-by-step teaching, often in a classroom setting

  • education

    broader and more long-term; covers general knowledge, not just job-specific skills

  • coaching

    more personal, one-on-one guidance, often with feedback

  • preparation

    broader; includes any kind of getting ready, not necessarily skill-based

Grammar Patterns

training in [skill/subject]

training on [equipment/system]

training for [job/role]

Usage Note

Often used with 'in' to specify the subject area (training in finance) or 'on' to specify the tool or system (training on the new software). 'On-the-job training' is a fixed phrase referring to learning while doing the actual work.

Common Mistakes

I took a training for Excel.
I took a training course in Excel.
'training' alone is uncountable; use 'training course' or 'training programme' for a countable sense.
I am in training to cook.
I am receiving training in cooking.
'training' is followed by 'in' + skill/subject, not 'to' + infinitive.

2. physical exercise and preparation, including diet and practice, done regularly i

2.nounB1
Definition

physical exercise and preparation, including diet and practice, done regularly in order to get ready for a sports competition or athletic event

Example

The swim team does early-morning training at the pool five days a week.

Lakan injured his knee during training and had to miss the national competition.

during training (time reference)

Common collocations
  • strength training
  • weight training
  • pre-season training
  • training camp
  • training session
  • training routine
  • training schedule
  • be in training
  • intensive training
  • rigorous training
Synonyms
  • exercise

    broader; any physical activity for health or fitness, not necessarily competition-focused

  • practice

    often refers to repeated performance of specific actions or drills, not whole-body conditioning

  • conditioning

    focuses on building stamina, strength, and physical readiness for a specific sport

  • workout

    a single session of exercise, countable, less formal

Antonyms
  • idleness

    state of being inactive, opposite of engaging in training

Grammar Patterns

be in training

training for [event]

[type] training

Usage Note

When 'training' refers to sports preparation, it is often modified by a preceding noun such as 'strength', 'weight', 'circuit', or 'interval'. The phrase 'be in training' implies an active, ongoing preparation period with a specific goal event in mind.

Common Mistakes

I did training yesterday at the gym.
I did a training session at the gym yesterday.
'training' is uncountable; use 'training session' or 'workout' for a single instance.

3. an experience or set of experiences that prepares someone well for handling a fu

3.nounB2
Definition

an experience or set of experiences that prepares someone well for handling a future challenge, situation, or role

Example

Growing up on a farm was excellent training for running her own business.

be excellent training for [something]

Mateo's role as team captain proved valuable training for managing a department.

be valuable training for [something]

Common collocations
  • good training for
  • excellent training for
  • valuable training for
  • useful training for
Synonyms
  • preparation

    broader and more neutral; 'preparation' can be deliberate, 'training' in this sense is often incidental

  • grounding

    suggests a solid foundation in the basics, often more formal than this sense

  • foundation

    focuses on the base of knowledge or skills built, rather than the experience itself

Grammar Patterns

be (good/excellent/valuable) training for [something]

Usage Note

This sense is almost always used in the pattern 'be [adjective] training for [something]'. Common adjectives are 'good', 'excellent', 'valuable', 'useful'. The subject is usually an experience, situation, or activity — not a formal programme.

4. giving a computer system large amounts of data from which it learns to recognise

4.nounC1
Definition

giving a computer system large amounts of data from which it learns to recognise patterns and improve how it performs tasks

Example

Model training required over ten thousand labelled images to achieve accurate results.

model training (compound noun)

During training the system learns to identify patterns by processing large amounts of data.

Common collocations
  • training data
  • training set
  • training phase
  • training process
  • training loop
  • training epoch
  • training loss
  • model training
  • deep learning training
Synonyms
  • model training

    more specific; refers explicitly to the process of training a machine learning model

  • learning

    used interchangeably in machine learning contexts ('supervised learning', 'deep learning')

  • fitting

    more technical; refers to the process of adjusting model parameters to match training data

Antonyms
  • inference

    the process of using a trained model to make predictions, the opposite phase of training

Grammar Patterns

training data

training set

training phase

training process

training a model on [data]

Usage Note

Common in technical contexts. 'Training data' refers to the dataset used for teaching the model, while a 'training set' is a specific subset of data used for this purpose. Contrast with 'inference', which is the process of using the trained model to make predictions on new data.

Common Mistakes

I trained the model with a big data.
I trained the model on a large dataset.
'data' is uncountable and 'big data' is a specific technical term that does not mean 'a large amount of data'.

Word family

  • train
    verbA2
  • trainer
    nounB1
  • trainee
    nounB2
  • retrain
    verbB2
  • retraining
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words relate to learning or getting ready for something, but they differ in scope and focus. 'Instruction' is the most step-by-step and teacher-driven — it focuses on giving specific directions or lessons, like a manual telling you how to operate a machine. 'Education' is the broadest term of the four; it covers the whole development of knowledge, character, and critical thinking over a long period, not just job-specific skills. 'Coaching' is personal and feedback-rich, usually one-on-one, with an emphasis on improving performance through observation and advice — common in sports and executive development. 'Preparation' is the most general and can refer to any action taken to get ready, from studying to packing equipment, and does not necessarily involve a teacher. For job-specific skill-building, 'training' sits between 'instruction' (narrower, more procedural) and 'education' (broader, more conceptual). For example, you take a 'training course' to learn a specific software, but you receive an 'education' in computer science over several years.

instruction ↗education ↗coachingpreparation ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • on-the-job training
  • hands-on training
  • formal training
  • receive training
  • provide training
  • undergo training
  • training and development

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

The word 'training' comes from the verb 'train', which entered English around the 14th century from Old French 'trahiner' (to pull, drag, draw), ultimately from Latin 'trahere' (to pull, draw). The original meaning was physical — to pull or drag something behind you, like the trailing part of a long dress. By the 16th century, the sense had shifted figuratively: to 'train' a person came to mean guiding or drawing them along a particular path of development, just as a gardener trains a plant to grow in a certain direction by tying and shaping it. The noun 'training' emerged in the mid-16th century to describe this process of guided instruction and preparation.