Memorise: Definition, Usage & Common Mistakes

Meaning 1：learn by heart (memorise)

memorise 🔊

/ˈmeməraɪz/

vt.

To learn something carefully so that you can remember it and repeat it later without any mistake.

Student memorising vocabulary from a notebook in a focused study session

learn by heart 🔊

➕

/lɜːrn baɪ hɑːrt/

vt.

To commit information to memory through careful study or repetition, with the goal of being able to recall it accurately later.

📁 Category：School Education 🔖 Level：Elementary

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Latin 'memor' (mindful, remembering) + '-ise' (verb-forming suffix).

💡 Mnemonic

Think: Put it in your MEMORY bank for later uSE.

📖 Example

She is trying to memorise all the capital cities of the world for her geography test tomorrow. 🔊 She is attempting to learn all the world's capital cities by heart for her upcoming geography exam.

🔗 Collocations

memorise facts – to commit specific pieces of information to memory

memorise lines – to learn the words of a script or poem by heart

memorise passwords – to commit secret codes to memory for security purposes

🔄 Synonyms

learn (v.) – To gain knowledge or skill through study or experience, which can include memorisation.

remember (v.) – To have or keep an image or idea in your mind; the result of successful memorisation.

commit to memory (v. phrase) – A formal phrase meaning to make a deliberate effort to memorise something.

🚫 Antonyms

forget (v.) – To be unable to remember something previously known or learned.

disregard (v.) – To pay no attention to information, making no effort to remember it.

neglect (v.) – To fail to care for or pay attention to something, such as studying information to be remembered.

🌱 Derivatives

memorisation (n.) – The process or act of memorising.

memory (n.) – The faculty by which the mind stores and remembers information.

📖 Cultural Story

Evolving from Latin 'memoria' (memory), 'memorise' highlights the historical importance of rote learning in Western education, particularly before the digital age. It was a core skill for scholars and students to internalise texts, formulas, and facts without reference materials.