construe
to deduce by inference or interpretation; infer: He construed her intentions from her gestures.
to translate, especially orally.
to analyze the syntax of; to rehearse the applicable grammatical rules of: to construe a sentence.
to arrange or combine (words, phrases, etc.) syntactically.
to admit of grammatical analysis or interpretation.
the act of construing.
something that is construed.
Origin of construe
1Other words from construe
- con·stru·er, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use construe in a sentence
Vivian Lynch felt Whitehead was wrong in construing this as an invasion-of-privacy case.
The known usage of trade may also be taken into account in construing the language of a policy.
Putnam's Handy Law Book for the Layman | Albert Sidney BollesAgain there was no reply; but the horses, gratefully construing the final syllable to their own needs, came to a full stop.
A Daughter of the Vine | Gertrude Franklin Horn AthertonIt is getting the various possible meanings-of-the-data into such shape as to make them most useful in construing the data.
Essays in Experimental Logic | John DeweyThe intention must be clear, and courts in general are averse to construing legacies to be specific.
The Curiosities and Law of Wills | John Proffatt
I shall be contented with construing my motives in my own way.
Ormond, Volume II (of 3) | Charles Brockden Brown
British Dictionary definitions for construe
/ (kənˈstruː) /
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
old-fashioned something that is construed, such as a piece of translation
Origin of construe
1Derived forms of construe
- construable, adjective
- construability, noun
- construer, noun
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
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