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Synonyms

understand

American

[uhn-der-stand] / ˌʌn dərˈstænd /

verb (used with object)

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.
to assign a meaning to; interpret.

He understood her suggestion as a complaint.
to grasp the significance, implications, or importance of.

He does not understand responsibility.
to regard as firmly communicated; take as agreed or settled.

I understand that you will repay this loan in 30 days.
to learn or hear.

I understand that you are going out of town.
to accept as true; believe.

I understand that you are trying to be truthful, but you are wrong.
to construe in a particular way.

You are to understand the phrase literally.
to supply mentally (something that is not expressed).

verb (used without object)

to perceive what is meant; grasp the information conveyed.

She told them about it in simple words, hoping they would understand.
to accept tolerantly or sympathetically.

If you can't do it, I'll understand.
to have knowledge or background, as on a particular subject.

He understands about boats.
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.

understand British

/ ˌʌndəˈstænd /

verb

(may take a clause as object) to know and comprehend the nature or meaning of

I understand you
I understand what you mean
(may take a clause as object) to realize or grasp (something)

he understands your position
(tr; may take a clause as object) to assume, infer, or believe

I understand you are thinking of marrying
(tr) to know how to translate or read

can you understand Spanish?
(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
(tr) to be sympathetic to or compatible with

we understand each other

"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

understand Idioms

see give to understand.

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

Past

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.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing understand

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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:

understand understands understood understanding

The new tool, he said, aims to help interviewers better understand: “What is the heart of this person? Who really is this person?”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026

"These discoveries show Gemini's ability to help us understand the characteristics of the remarkable zoo of exoplanets in our solar neighborhood," says Chris Davis, NSF Program Director for NOIRLab.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 14, 2026

"If you say: 'Come here, please', that would be too long and too difficult to understand," he said.

From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026

To "really understand what's going on", Sands is calling for the data around neonatal and stillborn deaths to be considered alongside "patient and staff experience".

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026

Clare furrowed his brow, feeling as though he was finally about to understand the meaning of it all.

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman

Morgan says it understands why the market is not yet willing to pay a higher multiple.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026

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

The BBC understands he was allowed to keep his passport after appearing in court and had previously travelled abroad while on court bail, but had returned to the UK.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

Five years later, there are lots of things about me that I don’t think my friend understands.

From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray

And, it is understood, there was no coordination between them in the timing of their resignations.

From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026

Jackson violated Rule 12, Section 3, Article 1, which applies to “any act which is contrary to the generally understood principles of sportsmanship,” the NFL said in the release announcing the suspension.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026

For him, originalism denotes that “constitutional provisions should be understood to mean what the public would have taken them to mean when they were adopted.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026

Once the researchers understood the importance of local pH, they investigated how to control it.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 12, 2026

If anyone understood not wanting to be seen, it was me.

From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows

Set some time after the events of “WandaVision,” “VisionQuest” will follow Vision as he tries to sort through his understanding of his identity and humanity.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026

"Four-in-five drivers we've surveyed believe they are a 'rip-off', with just one-in-10 understanding why airports charge what they do."

From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026

The virtual assistant has personal context understanding and onscreen awareness, Apple says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026

Otherwise, we have to do a lot of research on understanding the threat first, before we can develop the countermeasures.

From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026

“From someone who’s been here,” she finished simply, not understanding my perplexity.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023