From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishlessonles‧son /ˈlesən/ ●●● S2 W3 noun [countable] 1 learning a skillCLASS/LESSON a period of time in which someone is taught a particular skill, for example how to play a musical instrument or drive a car piano lessonshave/take lessons She’s started taking driving lessons.lesson in/on lessons in First Aid lessons in road safety2 in school British EnglishCLASS/LESSON a period of time in which school students are taught a particular subject SYN class American English Lessons start at 9 o'clock.French/physics/art etc lesson I’ve got a double maths lesson next.lesson in/on Andrew gives private lessons in Spanish.3 experiencePUNISH something that provides experience or information that you can learn from and uselearn a lesson (=gain useful experience or information) There were important lessons to be learned from these discoveries. The government has failed to learn the lessons of history.lesson to The men’s courage and faith is a lesson to us all. Now let that be a lesson to you all (=be careful to avoid having the same bad experience again). Her fate should be a salutary lesson (=one that teaches or warns you about something).4 bookSE a part of a book that is used for learning a particular subject, especially in school Turn to lesson 25.5 churchRRC a short piece that is read from the Bible during a religious ceremony → somebody has learned their lesson at learn(5), → teach somebody a lesson at teach(6)COLLOCATIONS – Meanings 1 & 2verbstake lessonsHe started taking piano lessons at age four.have lessonsI have swimming lessons on Friday.go to a lesson (also attend a lesson formal)I have to go to my French lesson now.give lessons (=teach lessons)She made a living giving private lessons in English.prepare a lessonThe teachers spend a long time preparing their lessons.ADJECTIVES/NOUN + lesson a history/physics/maths etc lessonI've got a history lesson this afternoon.a driving/swimming etc lessonDad said he'd pay for driving lessons as my birthday present.a piano/guitar etc lessonI'd just started classical guitar lessons.a private lesson (=a lesson specially for one person rather than for a class)He gave private lessons in mathematics at the weekends.
Examples from the Corpus
lesson• Our experience with the fire will serve as a lesson to the entire state.• We hope that the pictures, done by Kathleen White, one of the authors, will help you in choosing lessons.• Dominic will be having his first driving lesson this Thursday.• She gives English lessons to business people in the evenings.• It was a good lesson in humility, he realized.• But solving the mystery also teaches some important lessons about the era ahead.• It is algebra for today's lesson, my worst topic in maths.• The lessons which Donaldson has been trying to teach us are reflected throughout the following chapters.• Should we beat them or lock them up until they learn their lessons?• So feel free to fill your children with lessons and morals from this story.have/take lessons• I have found myself wondering what would have happened if I could have taken lessons from Saul Goodman.• I take lessons twice a week, I really enjoy them.• They included taking lessons for her advanced driving test, watercolour painting and gardening.• By way of taking lessons in sewing, I have often examined your stitches in my work bag.• His architecture may still have lessons for us.• Incidentally, brother Louis was then taking lessons on the pianoforte.• The majority of kids said they took lessons at home.• Bitterly, they complained: they hated art; they did not want to take lessons.French/physics/art etc lesson• His hobby is playing golf and he designed his entry during art lessons at school.• Did anyone know of some one who gave art lessons?• It must have shown up in art lessons first.• I did have one moment of triumph during that year of art lessons.• But these boys do not have swim team or baseball or sports camp or art lessons or a list of lawn-mowing clients.• A teacher in the art lesson with children is rather like a conductor with his orchestra.• I could see these art lessons were not going to be any fun.• So that was why I had all those art lessons!learn a lesson• Retching, vomiting and desperately trying to rub its face clean, the animal learns a lesson it never forgets.• It would progressively develop the Cadbury code of conduct in a non-legalistic way by learning lessons from corporate wrong-doing.• The second time I had a affair, I learned a lesson which was even more valuable, albeit terribly painful.• Apparently, they learned a lesson from the O. J. Simpson criminal trial by avoiding boring and time-consuming chronological presentations.• There is also a sad inability in governments to learn lessons.• Although the program was only two days, we learned lessons to make us better leaders for years to come.• A spoiled little girl who learns a lesson.• It has more to do with learning lessons, and we were learning ours by the hour.Origin lesson (1100-1200) Old French leçon, from Latin lectio “act of reading”, from legere; → LEGEND 