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understand
[ uhn-der-stand ]
verb (used with object)
- to perceive the meaning of; grasp the idea of; comprehend:
to understand Spanish; I didn't understand your question.
- to be thoroughly familiar with; apprehend clearly the character, nature, or subtleties of:
to understand a trade.
- to assign a meaning to; interpret:
He understood her suggestion as a complaint.
- to grasp the significance, implications, or importance of:
He does not understand responsibility.
- to regard as firmly communicated; take as agreed or settled:
I understand that you will repay this loan in 30 days.
- to learn or hear:
I understand that you are going out of town.
- to accept as true; believe:
I understand that you are trying to be truthful, but you are wrong.
- to construe in a particular way:
You are to understand the phrase literally.
- to supply mentally (something that is not expressed).
verb (used without object)
- to perceive what is meant; grasp the information conveyed:
She told them about it in simple words, hoping they would understand.
- to accept tolerantly or sympathetically:
If you can't do it, I'll understand.
- to have knowledge or background, as on a particular subject:
He understands about boats.
- to have a systematic interpretation or rationale, as in a field or area of knowledge:
He can repeat every rule in the book, but he just doesn't understand.
understand
/ ˌʌԻəˈæԻ /
verb
- may take a clause as object to know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
I understand you
I understand what you mean
- may take a clause as object to realize or grasp (something)
he understands your position
- tr; may take a clause as object to assume, infer, or believe
I understand you are thinking of marrying
- tr to know how to translate or read
can you understand Spanish?
- tr; may take a clause as object; often passive to accept as a condition or proviso
it is understood that children must be kept quiet
- tr to be sympathetic to or compatible with
we understand each other
Derived Forms
- ˌܲԻˈٲԻ岹, adjective
- ˌܲԻˈٲԻ岹, adverb
Other Word Forms
- u··ٲԻ verb preunderstood preunderstanding
Word History and Origins
Origin of understand1
Word History and Origins
Origin of understand1
Idioms and Phrases
see give to understand .Example Sentences
A conservation manager for the Dorset-based Butterfly Conservation, Steven Lofting, said the new method "has the potential to change our understanding of their biology, distribution, abundance and ecology. It's really exciting."
"He was close to the people," Elena said fondly, adding that she understood why he "couldn't stay away" from helping those worst off.
"I thought we were trusted colleagues who had, over many years, built up a relationship of trust and understanding," he added.
She taught me more in 20 seconds — a new way to listen, feel and understand — than I’d learned in 30 years of psychoanalysis and endurance sports.
But it is generally understood people cannot be punished and sent to a prison unless they have been convicted of a crime.
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When To Use
are other ways to say understand?
To understand something is to be thoroughly familiar with it, or to apprehend clearly its character, nature, or subtleties. How is understand different from know and comprehend? Find out on .
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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