misunderstand

verb

mis·​un·​der·​stand (ˌ)mi-ˌsən-dər-ˈstand 

misunderstood (ˌ)mi-ˌsən-dər-ˈstu̇d  ; misunderstanding

transitive verb

1

: to fail to understand

I misunderstood the message.

2

: to interpret incorrectly

I think you misunderstood my intentions.

Synonyms of misunderstand

• miss
• mistake
• misread
• misconstrue
• misinterpret
• misapprehend

Examples of misunderstand in a Sentence

Don't misunderstand me—I'm not criticizing your decision.

He feels that the critics have completely misunderstood his movies.

She expressed herself in clear terms that no one could misunderstand.

Recent Examples on the Web

Hopefully Hollywood won’t misunderstand the lesson in those projects’ success. — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 19 Aug. 2026

Cuban argued that the proposal misunderstands how startup wealth works. — Joshua Hong, Fortune, 17 Aug. 2026

Responding Monday to Emmanuel Acho, who criticized the idea that her ejection represented white privilege, Carrington insisted people were misunderstanding her. — Dan Zaksheske Outkick, FOXNews.com, 11 Aug. 2026

The Value Of Speed To Investors Investors are now explicitly pricing speed and AI leverage into term sheets, reshaping how fintechs build teams and prioritize their roadmaps, yet Chisell says many founders still misunderstand how AI works. — Alison Coleman, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for misunderstand

• analysand
• ampersand
• beforehand
• behindhand
• bottomland
• contraband
• countermand
• dixieland
• fairyland
• fatherland
• firebrand
• hinterland

Kids Definition

misunderstand

verb

mis·​un·​der·​stand (ˌ)mis-ˌən-dər-ˈstand 

misunderstood -ˈstu̇d  ; misunderstanding

1

: to fail to understand

2

: to interpret incorrectly