misunderstand

American  

[mis-uhn-der-stand] / ˌmɪs ʌn dərˈstænd /

verb (used with object)

• misunderstands,
  present (3rd person singular)
• misunderstood,
  past participle,  past
• misunderstanding
  present participle

1. to take (words, statements, etc.) in a wrong sense; understand wrongly.

   Synonyms:

   misinterpret, misapprehend, misconstrue

2. to fail to understand or interpret rightly the words or behavior of.

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misunderstand British  

/ ˌmɪsʌndəˈstænd /

verb

1. to fail to understand properly

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• misunderstander
  noun

Inflected Forms

Participles

• misunderstanding
  present
• misunderstood
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• misunderstand
  simple
• misunderstands
  simple
• have misunderstood
  perfect
• has misunderstood
  perfect
• am misunderstanding
  progressive
• are misunderstanding
  progressive
• is misunderstanding
  progressive
• have been misunderstanding
  perfect progressive
• has been misunderstanding
  perfect progressive

Past

• misunderstood
  simple
• had misunderstood
  perfect
• was misunderstanding
  progressive
• were misunderstanding
  progressive
• had been misunderstanding
  perfect progressive

Future

• will misunderstand
  simple
• will have misunderstood
  perfect
• will be misunderstanding
  progressive
• will have been misunderstanding
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of misunderstand

First recorded in 1150–1200, misunderstand is from the Middle English word misunderstanden. See mis- ¹, understand

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Explanation

To misunderstand is to incorrectly interpret what someone means. If you misunderstand the directions for taking your medication, you might end up feeling loopy or passing out. When a football player misunderstands the coach's instructions, he might make the wrong play. If a baker misunderstands what you ask him to write on your best friend's birthday cake, he might misspell her name. The verb misunderstand adds the "bad" or "wrong" prefix mis- to understand, from an Old English root, understandan, that literally means "stand in the midst of."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

misunderstand misunderstands misunderstood misunderstanding

On a recent episode of What Next, host Mary Harris spoke to Pulido about what Democrats misunderstand about South Texas and whether he’s singing the right tune for Congress.

From Slate ● Sep. 28, 2026

He also said that supporters of parent-notification policies misstate or misunderstand the parent-teacher relationship that exists in practice and under state law.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026

Given this kind of media coverage, is it any wonder that so many people misunderstand the High Court?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 23, 2026

Doctors say many patients misunderstand the role of the drugs.

From BBC ● Mar. 17, 2026

But Theo, how can Theo misunderstand him so?

From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman

In response Kundizeza wrote: "To suggest that a writer cannot write in different styles or genres, or improve his writing substantially after five or more years fundamentally misunderstands the craft of writing."

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026

Is she the one who is out of line and misunderstands the boundaries of marriage?

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 1, 2026

For Barton, the red card illustrates something he believes the public still misunderstands: VAR does not eliminate the need for the referee to interpret the rules.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026

That is because Kagan believes the question itself misunderstands the Fourth Amendment.

From Slate ● Jun. 29, 2026

The evidence is clear: not only does della Porta echo Garzoni’s words, but he misunderstands some of the experiments he claims to have performed, and so misreports them.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

So when our realtor texted early Monday morning to tell us our offer had been accepted, we assumed we’d misunderstood.

From Slate ● Oct. 28, 2026

Purdue, who holds the third fastest British female marathon time, believes the treadmill has been long misunderstood.

From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026

When scientists first discussed the possibility, the idea became widely misunderstood.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 23, 2026

This fresh attempt to clarify his position is styled by Mr. Fukuyama as a memoir, but it is better seen as a series of meditations—the meditations, in truth, of a misunderstood man.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026

I once asked Tracy Ediger, the Fugees’ team manager and all-around helper to the players and their families, what she thought people most misunderstood about Luma and the Fugees program.

From "Outcasts United: An American Town, a Refugee Team, and One Woman's Quest to Make a Difference" by Warren St. John

The firm said it would appeal against the decision and believed there had been a "misunderstanding of what we are seeking to achieve and hope to work towards an outcome that addresses the concerns raised".

From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026

“This is a big misunderstanding that can easily be resolved,” continued the rapper, who also used the incident to tease his 2026 film, “Street Fighter.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026

The results also highlighted a persistent misunderstanding surrounding the familiar hurricane "cone of uncertainty."

From Science Daily ● Oct. 20, 2026

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga has called the incident a "diplomatic misunderstanding".

From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026

Through a misunderstanding, some children reported for duty at Genoa, where no slave ships were waiting.

From "Slaughterhouse-Five" by Kurt Vonnegut

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