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

Explanation

Misapprehend is a verb that means to misunderstand. One place you definitely don't want to misapprehend instructions is on the plane when you're getting ready to skydive for the first time! The word misapprehend is sometimes used as a synonym for the word misunderstand, so you can use it in a similar way, but more for misunderstanding meaning than mishearing. Since apprehend means to grasp or catch, misapprehend can likewise mean to not grasp knowledge or information. For example, if someone is speaking in scientific lingo about acrocentric chromosomes and locus heterogeneity, and you don't understand what they're talking about, you might ask them to clarify in different terms so you don't misapprehend what they're saying.

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

Though the subject be one of unparalleled grandeur, the writer makes not the slightest effort at rhetorical embellishment, but employs language which a mere child cannot misapprehend.

From The Religion of Geology and Its Connected Sciences by Hitchcock, Edward