understood
Americanverb
adjective
-
agreed upon; known in advance; assented to.
It is the understood policy of this establishment to limit credit.
-
implied but not stated; left unexpressed.
The understood meaning of a danger sign is “Do not approach.”
verb
adjective
-
implied or inferred
-
taken for granted; assumed
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of understood
First recorded in 1600–10, for the adjective
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.
Cervantes’s readers would have understood the references instantly: The wild cats once prowled the Spanish countryside in abundance.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 30, 2026
It wasn’t long after their final interview, held over dinner at Spago in Beverly Hills, that Kroenke understood he’d hit the jackpot.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 29, 2026
The effect of a mutation cannot always be understood in isolation.
From Science Daily • May 29, 2026
It is understood the operation has already cost hundreds of thousands of pounds.
From BBC • May 29, 2026
Both now understood that fame was a two-faced monster.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
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.
