understood

American  

[uhn-der-stood] / ˌʌn dərˈstʊd /

verb

1. simple past tense and past participle of understand.

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adjective

1. agreed upon; known in advance; assented to.

   It is the understood policy of this establishment to limit credit.

2. implied but not stated; left unexpressed.

   The understood meaning of a danger sign is “Do not approach.”

understood British  

/ ˌʌndəˈstʊd /

verb

1. the past tense and past participle of understand

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adjective

1. implied or inferred

2. taken for granted; assumed

Other Word Forms

• half-understood adjective
• nonunderstood adjective
• self-understood adjective
• well-understood adjective

Etymology

Origin of understood

First recorded in 1600–10, for the adjective

Example Sentences

“He said something has to be done with tariffs and trade. He understood it. He’s very smart.”

From The Wall Street Journal

This suggests that elevated after-meal blood sugar may affect the brain through more subtle biological processes that are not yet fully understood.

From Science Daily

Her new Manhattan apartment certainly boasts a much more traditional aesthetic than her former home in Brooklyn, which she and Fischer are understood to have renovated extensively during their time there.

From MarketWatch

The findings raise new questions in a field many believed was already well understood.

From Science Daily

He might not have understood how much we felt loved by him—unconditionally, a love that was uncomplicated and unceasing.

From The Wall Street Journal