Showing results for "understood"

• past participle of understand.
• past tense form of understand.

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

See Examples For:

understood

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

After visiting the new store, she said she immediately felt understood by staff.

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026

Aneurin Bevan is understood to be seeking accreditation, and will consider referrals from Powys.

From BBC ● Oct. 12, 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

I understood now why our moms had tried so hard to grow a friendship between Sela and me—to give us what they’d never had.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith