Definition of comprehendnext

Synonym Chooser

How is the word comprehend distinct from other similar verbs?

The words appreciate and understand are common synonyms of comprehend. While all three words mean "to have a clear or complete idea of," comprehend may stress the process of coming to grips with something intellectually.

I have trouble comprehending your reasons for doing this

When is it sensible to use appreciate instead of comprehend?

While the synonyms appreciate and comprehend are close in meaning, appreciate implies a just evaluation or judgment of a thing's value or nature.

failed to appreciate the risks involved

How are the words understand and comprehend related?

Both understand and comprehend are very often interchangeable, with understand sometimes stressing the fact of having attained a firm mental grasp of something.

orders that were fully understood and promptly obeyed

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of comprehend Just a few years ago the meaning lay hidden behind a wall of medical jargon that only doctors could comprehend. Cody Cottier, Scientific American, 15 May 2026 That left the participants struggling to comprehend either one. Jon Hamilton, NPR, 14 May 2026 While the likes of Bacon and Montesquieu and Locke taught them how to think with open yet skeptical minds—and to comprehend natural law and human rights—Cicero and Cato and Seneca showed them how to act with civic virtue. Literary Hub, 13 May 2026 The Texas chapter, led by Collins, is dedicated to providing everyday citizens with the necessary insight and structure to comprehend policies discussed in local decision-making. William Jones, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for comprehend
Recent Examples of Synonyms for comprehend
Verb
  • Even so, there is a real responsibility on the introverted leader to understand how their natural tendencies land with the people around them and how to be most effective within that awareness.
    Bill Koch, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026
  • The colonies understood the British threat.
    Richard Torrenzano, Fortune, 26 May 2026
Verb
  • One of the most painful things about this disease is knowing that promising treatments are emerging, but funding barriers and manufacturing and procedural slow-downs continue to derail progress.
    Elise Esposito, Boston Herald, 29 May 2026
  • Nobody knows how often adverse events occur, said Kristen Nixon, a Johns Hopkins University researcher who has studied posts about weight loss drugs on Reddit, a popular online forum.
    Maia Rosenfeld, NBC news, 29 May 2026
Verb
  • Located on a magnificent campus encompassing more than 27,000 acres in Rome, Ga.
    Jason Armesto, AJC.com, 30 May 2026
  • One of the most intriguing features of the Red Sea is that the experience encompasses so much more than secluded islands, untouched coral reefs, and lazy days on a yacht deck.
    Lauren Keith, Robb Report, 30 May 2026
Verb
  • Immigration experts who were trying to decipher the news said the memo was more nuanced, leading to confusion over what the change actually entailed.
    Rebecca Santana, Chicago Tribune, 27 May 2026
  • This season, with a full deck of defensive backs — including rookies Will Lee and Zakee Wheatley — Evero will decipher his best secondary combinations.
    Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 27 May 2026
Verb
  • The spa With 11 treatment rooms, including a couples’ area, and men’s and women’s relaxation areas with hydrotherapy areas, the spa is a substantial amenity.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 June 2026
  • Brief endnotes are included for extra-curious readers.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 1 June 2026
Verb
  • Malik Washington must evolve as a receiver Washington, who has been praised in the past for his ability to learn and execute the offense, seems to be grasping Miami’s playbook faster than the rest of his fellow receivers.
    Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 31 May 2026
  • That student-body demographics might limit the Options is a difficult concept for your mother to grasp.
    Taiye Selasi, New Yorker, 31 May 2026
Verb
  • At least one person is dead and nine are unaccounted for after an industrial tank containing some 900,000 gallons of chemicals ruptured at a paper mill in Washington state on May 26, authorities said.
    Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 27 May 2026
  • Her shelves contained books on correct etiquette when entertaining (How to Do It, or, The Lively Art of Entertaining by Elsa Maxwell) and instructional books covering many areas of life, ranging from gardening and raising Siamese cats to keeping turtles.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 26 May 2026
Verb
  • Vansteenberghe, a male model, recognized that modeling was also one of Carthen’s goals and set her up with modeling gigs and advice after leaving Fiji.
    Carolyn Burt, Oc Register, 29 May 2026
  • German and Czech immigrants who settled in Central Texas during the 1800s introduced meat-smoking and butcher shop traditions that later became foundational to what many now recognize as classic Texas barbecue, according to the Texas Historical Association.
    Rebecca Morin, USA Today, 29 May 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Comprehend.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/comprehend. Accessed 1 Jun. 2026.

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