misunderstand
verb
mis·un·der·stand
(ˌ)mi-ˌsən-dər-ˈstand 
misunderstood
(ˌ)mi-ˌsən-dər-ˈstu̇d
; misunderstanding
; misunderstanding
1
: to fail to understand
I misunderstood the message.
2
: to interpret incorrectly
I think you misunderstood my intentions.
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
Could humans misunderstand or fail to foresee the consequences of de-extinction technologies?
—
JSTOR Daily, 13 Nov. 2025
Were those people now passing on their mistaken assumptions to others, who in turn were misunderstanding them and acting on them?
—Big Think, 12 Nov. 2025
While many people get covid after receiving a covid shot, because the vaccine’s ability to prevent infection wears off pretty fast, some misunderstand the purpose of the shot, said Otto Yang, an infectious disease specialist at UCLA Health.
—Phillip Reese, CNN Money, 5 Nov. 2025
So both sides have misunderstood his constituency.
—Newsweek Staff, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for misunderstand
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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JSTOR Daily, 13 Nov. 2025
Were those people now passing on their mistaken assumptions to others, who in turn were misunderstanding them and acting on them?
—Big Think, 12 Nov. 2025
While many people get covid after receiving a covid shot, because the vaccine’s ability to prevent infection wears off pretty fast, some misunderstand the purpose of the shot, said Otto Yang, an infectious disease specialist at UCLA Health.
—Phillip Reese, CNN Money, 5 Nov. 2025
So both sides have misunderstood his constituency.
—Newsweek Staff, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for misunderstand
Cite this Entry
“Misunderstand.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/misunderstand. Accessed 27 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
misunderstand
verb
mis·un·der·stand
(ˌ)mis-ˌən-dər-ˈstand
misunderstood
-ˈstu̇d
; misunderstanding
; misunderstanding
1
: to fail to understand
2
: to interpret incorrectly
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