Dictionary.com

construe

[ verb kuhn-stroo; noun kon-stroo ]
/ verb kənˈstru; noun ˈkɒn stru /
Save This Word!
See synonyms for: construe / construed 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.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?

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

OTHER WORDS FROM construe

con·stru·er, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use construe in a sentence

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
FEEDBACK