misunderstand
Americanverb (used with object)
-
misunderstands,
present (3rd person singular)
-
misunderstood,
past participle, past
-
misunderstanding
present participle
-
to take (words, statements, etc.) in a wrong sense; understand wrongly.
- Synonyms:
- misinterpret, misapprehend, misconstrue
-
to fail to understand or interpret rightly the words or behavior of.
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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misunderstandsimple
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misunderstandssimple
-
have misunderstoodperfect
-
has misunderstoodperfect
-
am misunderstandingprogressive
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are misunderstandingprogressive
-
is misunderstandingprogressive
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have been misunderstandingperfect progressive
-
has been misunderstandingperfect progressive
Past
-
misunderstoodsimple
-
had misunderstoodperfect
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was misunderstandingprogressive
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were misunderstandingprogressive
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had been misunderstandingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of misunderstand
First recorded in 1150–1200, misunderstand is from the Middle English word misunderstanden. See mis- 1, understand
Explanation
To misunderstand is to incorrectly interpret what someone means. If you misunderstand the directions for taking your medication, you might end up feeling loopy or passing out. When a football player misunderstands the coach's instructions, he might make the wrong play. If a baker misunderstands what you ask him to write on your best friend's birthday cake, he might misspell her name. The verb misunderstand adds the "bad" or "wrong" prefix mis- to understand, from an Old English root, understandan, that literally means "stand in the midst of."
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.
See Examples For:
He also said that supporters of parent-notification policies misstate or misunderstand the parent-teacher relationship that exists in practice and under state law.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026
We also discovered—without too much surprise—that he often seems to fundamentally misunderstand the works he treasures most deeply.
From Slate ● Jun. 11, 2026
“People are desperate for indicators so they look at VIX and they misunderstand it,” says Scott Nations, president of volatility index developer Nations Indexes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 14, 2026
Kaufman acknowledged mistakes can occur, but suggested many complaints arise when parents complete age checks on behalf of their children or misunderstand the process.
From BBC ● Apr. 13, 2026
“No, no, you misunderstand me,” said Professor Lupin, now smiling.
From "Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban" by J.K. Rowling
In response Kundizeza wrote: "To suggest that a writer cannot write in different styles or genres, or improve his writing substantially after five or more years fundamentally misunderstands the craft of writing."
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
Is she the one who is out of line and misunderstands the boundaries of marriage?
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 1, 2026
For Barton, the red card illustrates something he believes the public still misunderstands: VAR does not eliminate the need for the referee to interpret the rules.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
It’s hard to describe how profoundly that misunderstands what the military ought to be.
From Slate ● Jun. 16, 2026
The evidence is clear: not only does della Porta echo Garzoni’s words, but he misunderstands some of the experiments he claims to have performed, and so misreports them.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
The author ruminates on Brahms’s inner qualities, telling us that Brahms has been misunderstood as uncivilized.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
Migraines are often misunderstood as "just a headache" despite being a neurological condition that can leave people unable to work, socialise or function in everyday life, according to a migraine expert.
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026
If its reach has been misunderstood, other explanations built around the traditional model may also need to be reconsidered.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 14, 2026
Holmes and Evans embrace what they call “radical transparency,” opening their home to the cameras in hopes of convincing the filmmakers — and eventually the world — that the public has fundamentally misunderstood her.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026
It was the same frown Cat misunderstood the day they first met.
From "Caterpillar Summer" by Gillian McDunn
When he began practicing urology in the 1980s, the common misunderstanding was that testosterone injections caused prostate cancer, further suppressing research and treatment of testosterone deficiency.
From Slate ● Sep. 13, 2026
This objection rests on a basic misunderstanding of these systems.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026
Speaking from personal experience, I’ve encountered many a cat misunderstanding from non-kitty people.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
"Constraining LLM development under a misunderstanding of fair use doctrine would thwart such creative and scientific progress while hindering American prosperity and economic mobility," the document read.
From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026
It wasn’t only wickedness and scheming that made people unhappy, it was confusion and misunderstanding; above all, it was the failure to grasp the simple truth that other people are as real as you.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
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.
