as in to miss
to fail to understand the true or actual meaning of
you misunderstood that poem because you took everything so literally
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Recent Examples of misunderstand
In a way, the old joke about the doughnut and coffee cup misunderstands the power of topological thinking.
—
Konstantin Kakaes, Quanta Magazine, 20 May 2026
Both of them misunderstand in different ways how Kakeru works.
—Vulture, 17 May 2026
Toine says the two most common errors in orchid maintenance result from misunderstanding light and water requirements.
—Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 14 May 2026
That’s the thing many people still misunderstand about this amazing man.
—Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 6 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for misunderstand
Konstantin Kakaes, Quanta Magazine, 20 May 2026
Both of them misunderstand in different ways how Kakeru works.
—Vulture, 17 May 2026
Toine says the two most common errors in orchid maintenance result from misunderstanding light and water requirements.
—Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 14 May 2026
That’s the thing many people still misunderstand about this amazing man.
—Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 6 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for misunderstand
Recent Examples of Synonyms for misunderstand
Verb
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In May, the National Park Service said a man who went missing while hiking in Glacier National Park in Montana was killed by a bear in what authorities believe to be the first deadly bear attack at the park since 1998.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
10 June 2026
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Fifteen of those nations have missed the last three tournaments, 12 the past four World Cups.—
Scott M. Reid,
Oc Register,
10 June 2026
Verb
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Just don’t mistake him for the actual Elvis.—
Arati Menon,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 June 2026
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Complete with a red carpet and a dancing humanoid robot, the event could have been mistaken for a science fiction Hollywood premiere.—
Jared Perlo,
NBC news,
6 June 2026
Verb
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But Orioles center fielder Blaze Alexander badly misread the ball, which wound up landing at least 60 feet behind him and allowed both runners to score.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
4 June 2026
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When a city as blue as Los Angeles would rather roll the dice on a television star than send another progressive to City Hall, the message is hard to misread.—
Douglas Schoen,
Oc Register,
4 June 2026
Verb
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Some people may have misconstrued that as clear evidence that Guardiola, and City, have accepted the title race is over.—
Daniel Taylor,
New York Times,
14 May 2026
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The first lady’s claim that feminism made women put career over family, to the nation’s detriment, misconstrued what feminism means.—
Letters to the Editor,
Washington Post,
13 May 2026
Verb
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At a high level, however, data can get misinterpreted.—
Subha Barry,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
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But some misinterpreted the meme as a threat against Perry County High School, located in Linden, Tennessee, where sheriff's deputies later took Bushart into custody.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
20 May 2026
Verb
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That is true of leaders anywhere, but Israel’s history has predisposed some of its policymakers to focus excessively on day-to-day survival and to misapprehend or ignore strategic dynamics as a result.—
Andrew P. Miller,
Foreign Affairs,
5 Dec. 2025
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But would her students, turned on everywhere by the dogma of political correctness, misapprehend Haynes’s aim?—
Doreen St. Félix,
The New Yorker,
22 June 2023
Cite this Entry
“Misunderstand.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/misunderstand. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.
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