retrain: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C1Neutral to formal; common in professional, academic, and news contexts.
Quick answer
What does “retrain” mean?
to teach (someone) new skills for a different job or task.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
to teach (someone) new skills for a different job or task; to learn new skills for a different job or task.
To undergo or provide training again, either to update existing skills or to acquire entirely new ones, often in response to technological change, career shifts, or policy updates. Can also imply a psychological reconditioning of habits or responses.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in core meaning or usage.
Connotations
Slightly more frequent in UK policy discourse regarding industrial restructuring.
Frequency
Comparably frequent in both varieties.
Grammar
How to Use “retrain” in a Sentence
[subject] retrains [object][subject] retrains [object] as [new role][subject] retrains [object] to [infinitive][subject] retrains in [field]Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “retrain” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The government scheme helps redundant miners retrain in IT.
- We need to retrain the entire team on the new compliance procedures.
American English
- She decided to retrain as a software engineer after her marketing career stalled.
- The department was retrained to use the updated software.
adverb
British English
- (No adverb form)
American English
- (No adverb form)
adjective
British English
- (No common adjective form; 'retraining' is used as a modifier, e.g., 'retraining programme')
American English
- (No common adjective form; 'retraining' is used as a modifier, e.g., 'retraining costs')
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Crucial in HR and management for adapting to market changes, e.g., 'The company invested heavily to retrain its sales team for digital platforms.'
Academic
Used in economics, sociology, and education studies discussing labour market flexibility and lifelong learning.
Everyday
Discussed regarding career changes, e.g., 'After the factory closed, he decided to retrain as a nurse.'
Technical
Used in AI/ML for 'retraining a model' with new data.
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “retrain”
- Using 'retrain' for simple refresher courses with no significant skill change (use 'refresh' or 'update').
- Incorrect preposition: 'retrain for a job' (more common) vs. 'retrain to a job' (incorrect).
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
'Train' implies initial instruction to acquire a skill. 'Retrain' implies subsequent training, either to update existing skills or, more commonly, to learn new skills for a different purpose.
Yes, it can be intransitive. E.g., 'After his injury, the athlete retrained as a coach.' (Here, the object 'himself' is implied.)
No. It can be voluntary (career change) or mandatory (corporate restructuring, regulatory change). The word itself is neutral regarding volition.
'Reskill' is a very close synonym, often used interchangeably. 'Upskill' is related but focuses on enhancing current role skills rather than learning for a different one.
to teach (someone) new skills for a different job or task.
Retrain is usually neutral to formal; common in professional, academic, and news contexts. in register.
Retrain: in British English it is pronounced /ˌriːˈtreɪn/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˌriˈtreɪn/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “(No common idioms directly with 'retrain'; conceptually linked to 'go back to school', 'learn new tricks')”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: RE-TRAIN → like getting on a new TRAIN to go to a different career destination.
Conceptual Metaphor
CAREER IS A JOURNEY / SKILLS ARE TOOLS (that need sharpening or replacing).
Practice
Quiz
Which scenario BEST illustrates the concept of 'retraining'?