misapprehend

American  

[mis-ap-ri-hend] / ˌmɪs æp rɪˈhɛnd /

verb (used with object)

1. to misunderstand.

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misapprehend British  

/ ˌmɪsæprɪˈhɛnd /

verb

1. (tr) to misunderstand

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Other Word Forms

• misapprehendingly adverb
• misapprehensive adjective
• misapprehensively adverb
• misapprehensiveness noun

Etymology

Origin of misapprehend

First recorded in 1645–55; mis- ¹ + apprehend

Example Sentences

When Kavanaugh briefly touched on history, it was only to make a comment that seemed to misapprehend its significance here.

From Slate • Dec. 11, 2025

So many coaches misapprehend the nature of real authority.

From Washington Post • Dec. 23, 2021

Some people misapprehend it and think of as imitation.

From New York Times • Nov. 17, 2021

“Arguments that it isn’t possible to live without meat—implicitly, because of the role that meat played in human evolution—dramatically misapprehend the relationship between biology and destiny,” Berson writes.

From Slate • Nov. 5, 2019

But in these delicate matters, it is easy to misapprehend.

From English Critical Essays Nineteenth Century by Jones, Edmund David