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.See also: by, learn, rote
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.See also: by, learn, roteSee also:
v. phr. To blindly memorize what was taught without thinking about it. If you learn a subject by rote, it will be difficult to say anything original about it.