understand
Americanverb (used with object)
-
understands,
present (3rd person singular)
-
understood,
past participle, past
-
understanding
present participle
-
to perceive the meaning of; grasp the idea of; comprehend.
to understand Spanish; I didn't understand your question.
-
to be thoroughly familiar with; apprehend clearly the character, nature, or subtleties of.
to understand a trade.
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to assign a meaning to; interpret.
He understood her suggestion as a complaint.
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to grasp the significance, implications, or importance of.
He does not understand responsibility.
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to regard as firmly communicated; take as agreed or settled.
I understand that you will repay this loan in 30 days.
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to learn or hear.
I understand that you are going out of town.
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to accept as true; believe.
I understand that you are trying to be truthful, but you are wrong.
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to construe in a particular way.
You are to understand the phrase literally.
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to supply mentally (something that is not expressed).
verb (used without object)
-
understands,
present (3rd person singular)
-
understood,
past participle, past
-
understanding
present participle
-
to perceive what is meant; grasp the information conveyed.
She told them about it in simple words, hoping they would understand.
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to accept tolerantly or sympathetically.
If you can't do it, I'll understand.
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to have knowledge or background, as on a particular subject.
He understands about boats.
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to have a systematic interpretation or rationale, as in a field or area of knowledge.
He can repeat every rule in the book, but he just doesn't understand.
verb
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(may take a clause as object) to know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
I understand you
I understand what you mean
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(may take a clause as object) to realize or grasp (something)
he understands your position
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(tr; may take a clause as object) to assume, infer, or believe
I understand you are thinking of marrying
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(tr) to know how to translate or read
can you understand Spanish?
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(tr; may take a clause as object; often passive) to accept as a condition or proviso
it is understood that children must be kept quiet
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(tr) to be sympathetic to or compatible with
we understand each other
Usage
What are other ways to say understand? To understand something is to be thoroughly familiar with it, or to apprehend clearly its character, nature, or subtleties. How is understand different from know and comprehend? Find out on Thesaurus.com.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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understandsimple
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understandssimple
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have understoodperfect
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has understoodperfect
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am understandingprogressive
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are understandingprogressive
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is understandingprogressive
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have been understandingperfect progressive
-
has been understandingperfect progressive
Past
-
understoodsimple
-
had understoodperfect
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was understandingprogressive
-
were understandingprogressive
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had been understandingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of understand
First recorded before 900; Middle English understanden, understonden, Old English understondan; cognate with Dutch onderstaan. See under-, stand
Explanation
To understand something is to comprehend or get it. The more we learn, the more we understand. The goal of most education is to help students understand how the world works: history, math, English, music, science, and art are all complicated subjects that you need to practice and think about before you can really understand them. Understanding requires knowledge and thought. Another kind of understanding is like sympathy. For example, you might not approve of stealing, but you could understand why a guy would steal to feed his family.
Vocabulary lists containing understand
TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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"Kids Like Me: Voices of the Immigrant Experience"
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Foundational Reading
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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.
See Examples For:
This test can help you understand your risk.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 9, 2026
Khalwinder Singh Bhengura, 69, a grandfather from India who struggles with English, said he didn’t understand he was registering to vote when he checked a box on his Texas driver’s license application two years ago.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
He doesn’t just subvert expectations; he perverts them, creating characters who appear to have rich inner lives and plenty of secrets that the audience may never fully understand.
From Salon ● Oct. 9, 2026
But the country should also have more representative—and more female—legislatures because women really do have life experiences that are different than men’s, and that shapes how we understand politics, policy, and the law.
From Slate ● Oct. 9, 2026
I could not understand how Mutti could be like this.
From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo
He understands how to use his innate magnetism to charm his way through even the silliest scripts, occasionally creating a dissonance between the film and his performances that makes even the duds memorable.
From Salon ● Oct. 9, 2026
While AI can help you save money, an agent working on behalf of a company that understands personal tastes can also encourage more spending.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026
Miller-Perkins said she "understands trust has to be earned" and expects to be judged on what her office delivers.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
I think in some ways, this botched execution is emblematic of how everybody understands now what happens in that room, but the jurisprudence and the technologies have occluded that for most of us.
From Slate ● Oct. 6, 2026
"Good," says Helmuth, but he understands Karl's fear.
From "The Boy Who Dared" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
I told her I’d always understood the money as a gift to me, not an investment in the house or an early inheritance for her children.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 9, 2026
Brown, a Republican, ended the two-and-a-half-week June standoff by assuring Commerce Department, Pentagon and White House officials that Anthropic understood their security fears and had upgraded its safeguards.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
It's understood that the money is coming from the King's private income - and will cover what Andrew owes his former landlords, the Crown Estate, on leaving Royal Lodge.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
Protists are among the most diverse and least understood groups of organisms on Earth.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 8, 2026
Watching them, I understood what I’d spent so much time trying to ignore: being alone was better than being with people who didn’t care if I existed.
From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows
“Suddenly the market woke up to the understanding that AI could generate massive cyber risks to organizations, and the only way to protect against that risk was with AI-native cybersecurity products,” Spergel said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
It said its thoughts were with everyone who knew and loved Hannah, and it was grateful for the compassion and understanding shown by patients, communities and partner organisations.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
Schlossman said the market’s reaction Thursday emphasizes the importance of understanding how each company reports its revenue before making comparisons.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026
Institutions would finally take claims of rape seriously, and young men would have a better understanding of consent and the consequences.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
The Reichstag, the German parliament, had passed a Peace Resolution, calling for “a peace of understanding and the permanent reconciliation of peoples without the forcible acquisition of territory.”
From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman
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.
