rote
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by heart
Completely; by memory. Often used in reference to something that one has memorized or knows very well. Ask Becky to recite the poem—she knows it by heart. I can't sing that song in front of an audience if I don't know the words by heart! I had learned the speech by heart, but I was so emotional that I started messing it up about halfway through.
by rote
By memory, perhaps without true understanding of the topic. Ask Becky to recite the poem—she knows it by rote. Research shows that simply learning things by rote doesn't always translate into the best grasp of the material. I don't remember much about the plot of Frankenstein, but I do know by rote that "Frankenstein" is the name of the inventor, not the monster.
know (something) by heart
To have learned or memorized something completely. Ask Becky to recite the poem—she knows it by heart. I can't sing that song in front of an audience if I don't know the words by heart!
know (something) by rote
To memorize something through repetition, as opposed to acquiring a full or robust comprehension of it. I know the prayers by rote, but I've never really given much thought to what they mean. The exam is designed to test your working knowledge of the material, so you will not pass if you only know it by rote.
learn by rote
To use repetition to memorize something, as opposed to acquiring a full or robust comprehension of it. A noun or pronoun can be used between "learn" and "by." Learning by rote has been proven by many studies to be nearly useless in the long-term retention of information. There are so many characters in the Japanese alphabets that I have to learn them by rote.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
by rote
[of learning or memorizing] done as habit and without thinking. I simply memorized the speech by rote. I don't know what it means. The student learns everything by rote and doesn't really understand the concepts.
learn something by heart
Fig. to learn something so well that it can be written or recited without thinking; to memorize something. The director told me to learn my speech by heart. I had to go over it many times before I learned it by heart.
learn something by rote
Fig. to learn something by memorizing without giving any thought to what is being learned. I learned history by rote; then I couldn't pass the test that required me to think. If you learn things by rote, you'll never understand them.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
by heart
Also, by rote. From memory; also, mechanically. For example, Betty had trouble learning the song by heart, but her teacher insisted on it, or Japanese schools put heavy emphasis on learning by rote. These terms are often put as know by heart or learn by rote . The first term was already used by Chaucer (in Troilus and Cressida). The variant, also dating from the 1300s, often implies mere memorization without deeper understanding. Both phrases remain in use, although this form of learning is no longer so widespread as it once was. Also see commit to memory.
learn by heart
Also, learn by rote. See under by heart.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
by rote
If you do something by rote, you do it without thinking about it or understanding it properly, often because you have learned about it by repeating it many times. It is easy to forget how much learning was done by rote in the past. He uses the same old lectures, delivered by rote.
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012
by heart
from memory.Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
by ˈheart
(British English also off by ˈheart) using only your memory: There was a time when I knew the whole poem by heart.Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
by heart
Learned by rote; memorized word for word.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.