construe
Americanverb (used with object)
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to deduce by inference or interpretation; infer.
He construed her intentions from her gestures.
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to translate, especially orally.
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to analyze the syntax of; to rehearse the applicable grammatical rules of.
to construe a sentence.
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to arrange or combine (words, phrases, etc.) syntactically.
verb (used without object)
noun
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the act of construing.
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something that is construed.
verb
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to interpret the meaning of (something)
you can construe that in different ways
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(may take a clause as object) to discover by inference; deduce
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to analyse the grammatical structure of; parse (esp a Latin or Greek text as a preliminary to translation)
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to combine (words) syntactically
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old-fashioned (also intr) to translate literally, esp aloud as an academic exercise
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have construedperfect
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has construedperfect 3rd person singular
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are construingprogressive
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has been construingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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am construingprogressive 1st person singular
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construingparticiple
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construessingular 3rd person
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is construingprogressive 3rd person singular
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have been construingperfect progressive
Past
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had construedperfect
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were construingprogressive plural
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had been construingperfect progressive
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was construingprogressive singular
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construedparticiple
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construedsimple
Future
Etymology
Origin of construe
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English construen, from Latin construere “to put together, build,” equivalent to con- con- + struere “to pile up, arrange,” perhaps akin to sternere “to spread, scatter”; see strew, stratum
Explanation
If you interpret something or make sense of it, you construe its meaning. If the new girl in your class asks to sit with you at lunch, you could construe that she wants to be friends. You can never have too many friends! To make an assumption based on evidence is to construe. You could construe that eating an entire box of cookies might make you feel a bit sick. And you might not want to eat them again for a very long time. The opposite of construe is misconstrue, which means to falsely or wrongly interpret. If you get a poor grade on an essay, you shouldn't construe that your teacher dislikes you. If you do, you misconstrue your work for his feelings.
Vocabulary lists containing construe
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Construe for me this short passage, these few verses: parse, analyse, resolve into component parts!
From Paul Kelver, a Novel by Jerome, Jerome K. (Jerome Klapka)
Construe that, Mr. Barton.—I am going to send down my pictures to Boulge, if I can secure them: they are not quite secure at present.
From Letters of Edward FitzGerald in two volumes, Vol. 1 by Wright, William Aldis
Construe, kon′strōō, or kon-strōō′, v.t. to exhibit the arrangement in another language: to translate: to explain: to interpret: to infer.—v.i. to admit of grammatical analysis.—Con′ster, an old form.
From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D) by Various
Construe, construct.—"To construe means 'to interpret,' 'to show the meaning;' to construct means 'to build;' we may construe a sentence as in translation, or construct it as in composition."
From Practical Exercises in English by Buehler, Huber Gray
Construe it how one might, there would be at least some awkwardness in accepting such hospitality.
From The Martins Of Cro' Martin, Vol. I (of II) by Lever, Charles James
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.
