understand

verb un·der·stand \ ˌən-dər-ˈstand \

|Updated on: 5 Jun 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: understand in a Sentence

Definition of understand

understood play \ˌən-dər-ˈstu̇d\; understanding

transitive verb

1 a : to grasp the meaning of

understand Russian

b : to grasp the reasonableness of

his behavior is hard to understand

c : to have thorough or technical acquaintance with or expertness in the practice of

understand finance

d : to be thoroughly familiar with the character and propensities of

understands children

2 : to accept as a fact or truth or regard as plausible without utter certainty

we understand that he is returning from abroad

3 : to interpret in one of a number of possible ways

4 : to supply in thought as though expressed

"to be married" is commonly understood after the word engaged

intransitive verb

1 : to have understanding : have the power of comprehension

2 : to achieve a grasp of the nature, significance, or explanation of something

3 : to believe or infer something to be the case

4 : to show a sympathetic or tolerant attitude toward something

—

understandability

play \ˌən-dər-ˌstan-də-ˈbi-lə-tē\ noun

—

understandable

play \ˌən-dər-ˈstan-də-bəl\ adjective

See understand defined for English-language learners

See understand defined for kids

Examples of understand in a Sentence

I can't understand a word you're saying.
I don't understand these directions.
I want you to stay away from her. Do you understand?
I don't understand how this is supposed to work.
He doesn't really understand the situation.
You should read the book in order to understand more about the subject.
I can't understand why she would do such a thing.
She's beginning to understand what's going on.
You have to understand that I had no other choice.
At first we didn't get along, but I think we understand each other now.

Recent Examples of understand from the Web

Do locals understand the profound ways that climate change will affect not only California agriculture but their lives as shoppers and diners?

— aaron gilbreath, Longreads, "Farming A Warming Planet: An Interview Nathanael Johnson," 31 May 2018
What needs to be better understood is: What are the causes in the vast number of individuals where no clear evidence of Lyme disease is found?

— rafal tokarz, Health.com, "The Lyme Disease Complication You Don't Know About—But Should," 31 May 2018
Also memorable, when students understood scientific concepts and an Outward Bound trip to Costa Rica.

— elizabeth marie himchak, Pomerado News, "PUSD says farewell to 28 retiring high school teachers," 30 May 2018
It’s been understood for a while that the consistency of one’s earwax is a genetic trait, distributed ethnogeographically, as your quote describes.

— cecil adams, Chicago Reader, "Why are different races correlated with two different types of earwax, and when did this divergence occur?," 25 May 2018
The app also uses machine learning to understand your needs better, personalizing your mindfulness journey to your goals and needs.

— banu ibrahim, CNN Underscored, "This relaxation and stress-relief app has a near perfect rating from over 3,000 users," 25 May 2018
To understand what happened to those early birds, Daniel Field, a vertebrate paleontologist at the University of Bath in the United Kingdom, and his colleagues looked at three lines of evidence.

— elizabeth pennisi, Science | AAAS, "This quaillike creature was the only bird to survive the dinosaur-killing asteroid impact," 24 May 2018
Council seemed to understand her purpose as more than just a cook.

— rebecca angel baer, Southern Living, "Saying Goodbye to Mama Dip," 24 May 2018
In 2016, researchers relied on measurements of sand dunes past and present on Mars to better understand the Red Planet’s ancient environment.

— Discover Magazine, "20 Things You Didn't Know About ... Sand," 18 May 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of understand

Middle English, from Old English understandan, from under + standan to stand

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

See Words from the same year

understand Synonyms

Phrases

pick up on;

Synonym Discussion of understand

understand, comprehend, appreciate mean to have a clear or complete idea of. understand and comprehend are very often interchangeable. understand may, however, stress the fact of having attained a firm mental grasp of something.

- orders that were fully understood and promptly obeyed

comprehend may stress the process of coming to grips with something intellectually.

- I have trouble comprehending your reasons for doing this

appreciate implies a just evaluation or judgment of a thing's value or nature.

- failed to appreciate the risks involved

UNDERSTAND Defined for English Language Learners

understand

verb

Definition of understand for English Language Learners

: to know the meaning of (something, such as the words that someone is saying or a language)
: to know how (something) works or happens
: to know how (someone) thinks, feels, or behaves