comprehension

noun com·pre·hen·sion \ ˌkäm-pri-ˈhen(t)-shən , -prē- \

|Updated on: 12 Jul 2018

Examples: comprehension in a Sentence

Definition of comprehension

1 a : the act or action of grasping with the intellect : understanding

children who have difficulty with comprehension of spoken language

What the artist actually needs is comprehension of his aims and ideals by men he respects …
—H. L. Mencken

b : knowledge gained by comprehending

tests that measure the students' comprehension in math

She carried on with full comprehension of the risk involved.

c : the capacity for understanding fully

mysteries that are beyond our comprehension

The war caused suffering beyond comprehension.

2 a : the act or process of comprising

the comprehension of all the denominations into one Church

b : the faculty or capability of including : comprehensiveness

the broad comprehension of the word "animal"

3 : connotation 3

See comprehension defined for English-language learners

See comprehension defined for kids

Examples of comprehension in a Sentence

The students showed excellent reading comprehension.
the president's comprehension of the current situation in the Middle East

Recent Examples of comprehension from the Web

Supplemental math classes are being considered for students who need extra help or show signs of quick comprehension.

— priscella vega, latimes.com, "Parents’ concerns halt Newport-Mesa plans for changing middle school math courses; more public input sought," 27 June 2018
But that is not the same as listening comprehension or constructing a speech that can either be spoken or written or understanding the nuances of claims, meaning what supports a proposition or what may be against a proposition.

— edward c. baig and ryan suppe, USA TODAY, "IBM shows off an artificial intelligence that can debate a human and change some minds," 18 June 2018
Simplification of terms and overall comprehension were the buzz concepts this spring for the Wolverines with new offensive line coach Ed Warinner.

— nick baumgardner, Detroit Free Press, "Michigan's offensive line has potential, but how much?," 23 May 2018
Serena’s ruthless response—to hold June down even harder—is a betrayal beyond comprehension.

— emma dibdin, Harper's BAZAAR, "The Handmaid's Tale Season 2 Episode 10 Is Its Most Horrifying Yet," 20 June 2018
Of course, there’s another reason why listening to her is so important: comprehension.

— carla bruce-eddings, The Cut, "Why, Why, Why Does My Toddler Repeat Herself So Much?," 15 June 2018
The drug is potent almost beyond comprehension — and that’s what changes the game.

— Fortune, "Deadly Chinese Fentanyl Is Creating a New Era of Drug Kingpins," 6 June 2018
Students from first to 12th grade take part in regional competitions across the nation, participating in contests that test such skills as reading comprehension, spelling and proofreading.

— pete pichaske, Howard County Times, "Blind Elkridge student heads to California for national Braille Challenge," 4 June 2018
Thus regardless of individual learning style or the alignment of the style with study techniques, many students are adopting strategies that simply do not support comprehension and retention of information.

— cindi may, Scientific American, "The Problem With “Learning Styles”," 29 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'comprehension.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.