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Business English vocabulary · Office Idioms and Phrases

Learning curve

Meaning in business english, with examples

/ˈlɜːrnɪŋ ˌkɜːrv/nounCommon term

In business english, learning curve means: The rate at which someone learns a new skill, job or system; a steep learning curve means there is a lot to learn in a short time.

In Turkish: öğrenme süreci, öğrenme eğrisi, alışma süresi

How it is used

Mostly in 'a steep learning curve', said about new jobs, tools and markets. In interviews it often sounds positive: 'It was a steep learning curve, but I learned a lot'.

Example sentences

  1. The new ERP system has a steep learning curve, so we've planned extra training.

  2. Moving from engineering to sales was a big learning curve for me.

Common collocations

  • steep learning curve
  • on a learning curve
  • a big learning curve
  • shorten the learning curve
  • onboardingThe process of welcoming new employees and helping them learn the company's systems, people and way of working.
  • up to speedHaving all the latest information about a situation or task, or able to work at the expected level after a period of learning.
  • hit the ground runningTo start a new job or project quickly and effectively, without needing a long time to learn or prepare.
  • feedbackComments about how good or useful someone's work, idea or performance is, given so that it can be improved.

More terms: Office Idioms and Phrases

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