Did you know?
Construe comes from the Latin verb construere, meaning "to construct." There is also misconstrue, meaning "to put a wrong construction (that is, a wrong interpretation) on" or "to misinterpret."
Did you know?
Construe can usually be translated as "interpret". It's often used in law; thus, an Attorney General might construe the term "serious injury" in a child-abuse law to include bruises, or a judge might construe language about gifts to "heirs" to include spouses. The IRS's construal of some of your activities might be different from your own—and much more expensive at tax time. Construing is also close to translating; so when the British say "public school", for instance, it should be construed or translated as "prep school" in American terms.
Examples of construe in a Sentence
Katie Stockton, CNBC, 14 July 2025
In its 16-page filing, the DOJ emphasized that plea agreements are interpreted like contracts and must be narrowly construed unless expressly made applicable to multiple jurisdictions.
—Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 14 July 2025
Historically, the use of scientific consensus as a method of understanding scientific postures has been relatively popular and construed as the standard way of doing things.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 13 July 2025
Johnson is the daughter of actors Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson, both of whom played roles over the course of their varied careers that could be construed as in the psychopathic vein.
—Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 7 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for construe
Cite this Entry
“Construe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/construe. Accessed 26 Jul. 2025.
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