Definition of comprehend
transitive verb
1 : to grasp the nature, significance, or meaning of unable to comprehend what has happened
2 : to contain or hold within a total scope, significance, or amount … philosophy's scope comprehends the truth of everything which man may understand … — Henry Osborn Taylor
3 : to include by construction or implication Does not prudence comprehend all the virtues? — Thomas B. Silver Our civilization comprehends great variety and complexity … — Perry Meisel
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Examples of comprehend in a Sentence
the age at which children can comprehend the difference between right and wrong
it took me a while to comprehend algebra
Recent Examples of comprehend from the Web
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Who cares if your baby can barely hold her head up, much less comprehend a story.
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The scale of construction was almost too immense to comprehend.
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Many were in tears and obvious distressed, milling anxiously outside, either waiting to locate relatives and friends or too stunned to comprehend the extent of the situation.
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Pinsky is good at explaining the value of comprehending the meaning that’s gotten out of that poetry, the transformative value of poetry for the reader.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'comprehend'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Did You Know?
To comprehend is to mentally grasp something's complete nature or meaning. Comprehend is thus often a bit stronger than understand: for example, you may understand the instructions in a handbook without completely comprehending their purpose. Comprehend's second meaning is much less common. Using that sense of the word, we could say that good manners comprehends (that is, includes) more than simple table etiquette, for example, or that true courage comprehends more than just physical showing off. And something comprehensive includes a great deal: so a comprehensive exam, for instance, includes all the material that was studied in the course.
Origin and Etymology of comprehend
Middle English, from Anglo-French comprendre, comprehendre, from Latin comprehendere, from com- + prehendere to grasp — more at get
Synonym Discussion of comprehend
include, comprehend, embrace, involve mean to contain within as part of the whole. include suggests the containment of something as a constituent, component, or subordinate part of a larger whole. the price of dinner includes dessert comprehend implies that something comes within the scope of a statement or definition. his system comprehends all history embrace implies a gathering of separate items within a whole. her faith embraces both Christian and non-Christian beliefs involve suggests inclusion by virtue of the nature of the whole, whether by being its natural or inevitable consequence. the new job involves a lot of detail
COMPREHEND Defined for English Language Learners
comprehend
playDefinition of comprehend for English Language Learners
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: to understand (something, such as a difficult or complex subject)
COMPREHEND Defined for Kids
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See words that rhyme with comprehend Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for comprehend Spanish Central: Translation of comprehend Nglish: Translation of comprehend for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of comprehend for Arabic speakers
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