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
Derived 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.
Henderson said he understood people were "feeling a range of emotions, from fear to anger".
From Barron's • Jun. 9, 2026
For the past two decades, their entire careers have played out in parallel, their greatness most easily understood in comparison to each other.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026
Even though Bass comes from a political tradition of not wanting to criminalize the unhoused, he said, she understood her voters include people wanting to move homeless people off the streets.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 7, 2026
The Moon's geological history is still not fully understood.
From Science Daily • Jun. 6, 2026
Jonah couldn’t tell if she really understood or if she was just prompting Angela.
From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
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.
