comprehend
Americanverb
-
to perceive or understand
-
(tr) to comprise or embrace; include
Usage
What are other ways to say comprehend? To comprehend something is to grasp it with the mind. How is comprehend different from know and understand? Learn more on Thesaurus.com.
Related Words
See include.
Other Word Forms
- comprehender noun
- comprehendingly adverb
- noncomprehending adjective
- noncomprehendingly adverb
- precomprehend verb (used with object)
- self-comprehending adjective
- uncomprehended adjective
- uncomprehending adjective
- uncomprehendingly adverb
- well-comprehended adjective
Etymology
Origin of comprehend
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English comprehenden, from Latin comprehendere, from com- com- + prehendere “to seize” ( prehension )
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.
Even if you don’t trust her motivations when she’s saying something or completely comprehend it, it seems true.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026
The point Currie was making was that markets seem not to comprehend the logistical difficulties involved in moving different types of oil around, and the disruption it causes.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 19, 2026
Marge’s inability to comprehend the motivation behind these crimes is her greatest asset.
From Salon • Feb. 7, 2026
This close-knit, historic market town struggled to comprehend events, and many of its residents will remember the sight of Lilia's tiny white coffin, adorned with butterflies, passing through its streets.
From BBC • Feb. 5, 2026
It is a fine thing, reader, to be lifted in a moment from indigence to wealth—a very fine thing; but not a matter one can comprehend, or consequently enjoy, all at once.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
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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.