- past tense form of understand.
- past participle of understand.
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.
Although he understood Opel's need to remain competitive globally, he worried that a strategy of cutting German engineering expertise could eventually "come back to haunt them in the long run".
From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026
Asked if he understood that he could face life in prison - he replied, "yes".
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
Tisa Wenger, a professor of American religious history at Yale Divinity School, said religious liberty has long been understood as “an all-American ideal that many Americans are very proud of.”
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026
It is a secret code that cannot be fully understood by outsiders.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
Karli understood even less, but we were both so upset and surprised to hear them being angry with one another, and shouting like that.
From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo
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.
