construe

verb con·strue \ kən-ˈstrü \

|Updated on: 13 Jun 2018

Examples: construe in a Sentence

Editor's Note: Did You Know?

Definition of construe

construed; construing

transitive verb

1 : to analyze the arrangement and connection of words in (a sentence or sentence part)

construe this Latin sentence by Cicero

2 : to understand or explain the sense or intention of usually in a particular way or with respect to a given set of circumstances

construed my actions as hostile

Her frustration was construed as anger.

intransitive verb

: to construe a sentence or sentence part especially in connection with translating

—

construable

play \kən-ˈstrü-ə-bəl\ adjective

See construe defined for English-language learners

See construe defined for kids

construe was our Word of the Day on 07/03/2017. Hear the podcast!

Examples of construe in a Sentence

The way the court construes various words has changed over time.
the role of the justices of the Supreme Court in construing the constitution

Recent Examples of construe from the Web

The map doesn’t just list objects that would be construed as of military use.

— erik lacitis, The Seattle Times, "The Soviets’ secret map of Seattle tells a lot about us," 1 June 2018
Elliott said the right of citizens to act through initiative has long been construed to extend only to legislative acts and not to administrative or executive acts.

— david garrick, sandiegouniontribune.com, "San Diego seeking court review of competing Mission Valley stadium ballot measures," 11 May 2018
Trump and his allies have construed this as improper spying on his campaign, which delegitimizes the entire Mueller probe.

— margaret hartmann, Daily Intelligencer, "Bannon Is Still Advising Trump Allies on Their War With Mueller," 18 May 2018
The claims exemption must be construed narrowly to exclude only documents directly relevant to the claims.

— david fleshler, Sun-Sentinel.com, "School district shuts down information after Stoneman Douglas shooting," 12 May 2018
The Libya reference was construed by some as an attempt by Bolton—who has previously advocated a pre-emptive military strike against Pyongyang—to sabotage the talks with North Korea by raising the president’s expectations.

— abigail tracy, The Hive, "“A Dog Whistle to the North Koreans”: Will Trump’s Ignorance (and Bolton’s Impetuousness) Doom the North Korea Summit?," 4 May 2018
Constitutional lawyer David Rivkin in December argued on these pages that a president’s exercise of the powers of his office cannot legitimately be construed as obstruction of justice.

— kimberley a. strassel, WSJ, "How Trump Takes On Obstruction," 26 Apr. 2018
There will be constant pressure to seek statements that may be construed as political.

— james stavridis, Time, "Ret. Admiral: President Trump’s Actions Are Making Many Military Leaders Uncomfortable," 16 Apr. 2018
Authenticity and consistency aren’t necessarily valued for their own sake, and the concealment of authentic honne behind conventional tatemae is often construed as an act of unselfishness and sociability, rather than of deception or hypocrisy.

— kathryn schulz, The New Yorker, "Japan’s Rent-a-Family Industry," 23 Apr. 2018

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

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.