construe

[ verb kuhn-stroo or, especially British, kon-stroo; noun kon-stroo ]
/ verb kənˈstru or, especially British, ˈkɒn stru; noun ˈkɒn stru /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR construe ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), con·strued, con·stru·ing.

verb (used without object), con·strued, con·stru·ing.

to admit of grammatical analysis or interpretation.

noun

the act of construing.
something that is construed.

QUIZZES

IS YOUR VOCABULARY AS STRONG AS A HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT? TRY THIS QUIZ TO SEE!

It may seem like fun and games but this quiz that uses vocab from popular stories will determine how much you know.
Question 1 of 10
disgruntle
to deprive of ability, qualification, or strength
to put into a state of sulky dissatisfaction
to make repayment or return for (service, benefits, etc.)
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of construe

1325–75; Middle English construen<Latin construere to put together, build, equivalent to con-con- + struere to pile up, arrange, perhaps akin to sternere to spread, strew; see stratum

OTHER WORDS FROM construe

con·stru·er, nounun·con·strued, adjective

Words nearby construe

constructive dismissal, constructive interference, constructivism, constructor, construct state, construe, consubstantial, consubstantiate, consubstantiation, Consuela, consuetude
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to construe

translate, infer, interpret, define, parse, expound, render, read, explicate, understand, take, decipher, analyze, spell out

Example sentences from the Web for construe

British Dictionary definitions for construe

construe
/ (kənˈstruː) /

verb -strues, -struing or -strued (mainly tr)

to interpret the meaning of (something)you can construe that in different ways
(may take a clause as object) to discover by inference; deduce
to analyse the grammatical structure of; parse (esp a Latin or Greek text as a preliminary to translation)
to combine (words) syntactically
(also intr) old-fashioned to translate literally, esp aloud as an academic exercise

noun

old-fashioned something that is construed, such as a piece of translation

Derived forms of construe

construable, adjectiveconstruability, nounconstruer, noun

Word Origin for construe

C14: from Latin construere to pile up; see construct
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012