understood

American  

[uhn-der-stood] / ˌʌn dərˈstʊd /

verb

1. simple past tense and past participle of understand.

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adjective

1. agreed upon; known in advance; assented to.

   It is the understood policy of this establishment to limit credit.

2. implied but not stated; left unexpressed.

   The understood meaning of a danger sign is “Do not approach.”

understood British  

/ ˌʌndəˈstʊd /

verb

1. the past tense and past participle of understand

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adjective

1. implied or inferred

2. taken for granted; assumed

Other Word Forms

• half-understood adjective
• nonunderstood adjective
• self-understood adjective
• well-understood adjective

Etymology

Origin of understood

First recorded in 1600–10, for the adjective

Example Sentences

It is understood the BBC is not aware of any legal complaint over the matter.

From BBC

I understood the appeal of mise en place long before I ever embraced cleaning as I cooked.

From Salon

It is understood that neither developments were related to the current series of Strictly.

From BBC

“They came here because they knew and understood that Minnesota was a place where taxpayer money could be taken with little risk and few consequences,” Thompson said.

From The Wall Street Journal

I understood why Ilana resented the assignment—I too had bristled when my parents insisted I read.

From The Wall Street Journal