1
as in to know
to have a practical understanding of
I think I understand how an engine works now
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to recognize
to have a clear idea of
after a few weeks in Russia I began to understand the language a little bit
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to derive
to form an opinion or reach a conclusion through reasoning and information
as I understand it, this is the best plan that we have
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of understand
And when Tulip, Posey, and Jade start to become bandmates and friends, Marino could understand the challenge the girls’ face.
—
Allison McClain Merrill, Parents, 10 Oct. 2025
Regardless, the lesson here is that the Knicks are morphing as an offense and in the early stages of understanding the importance of keeping the ball moving.
—James L. Edwards Iii, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
And that education helped me, over time, to understand my mother, the world that had produced her, to have compassion for her, in the most humane ways.
—Kevin Powell, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
Annette Gordon-Reed’s The Hemingses of Monticello (2008) made Sally Hemings, from whom not a word survives, a figure crucial to understanding the workings of power in the early American republic.
—Jane Kamensky, The Atlantic, 10 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for understand
Allison McClain Merrill, Parents, 10 Oct. 2025
Regardless, the lesson here is that the Knicks are morphing as an offense and in the early stages of understanding the importance of keeping the ball moving.
—James L. Edwards Iii, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
And that education helped me, over time, to understand my mother, the world that had produced her, to have compassion for her, in the most humane ways.
—Kevin Powell, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
Annette Gordon-Reed’s The Hemingses of Monticello (2008) made Sally Hemings, from whom not a word survives, a figure crucial to understanding the workings of power in the early American republic.
—Jane Kamensky, The Atlantic, 10 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for understand
Recent Examples of Synonyms for understand
Verb
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Both knew each other from their work for 100 Black Men of America, where Gatlin had been an executive before joining the Foundation.—
Michelle Marchante,
Miami Herald,
12 Oct. 2025
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Deborah McGregor, an Anishinaabe scholar from Whitefish River First Nation, defines and discusses the concept of Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK), sometimes also known as Indigenous Ecological Knowledge or Indigenous Ecological Wisdom.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
11 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Liam McNeeley was listed as one of the steals of the draft based on where he was selected, and Josh Longstaff was recognized as one of the top assistant coaches in the league.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
12 Oct. 2025
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Juneteenth recognizes the end of slavery in the United States on June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers arrived in Galveston to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation, which President Abraham Lincoln had signed more than two years earlier.—
Ciara McCarthy,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
12 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Most originated in Asia and are derived from Paeonia lactiflora.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
5 Oct. 2025
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Reuters reported that membership in the GenZ 212, which derived its name from Morocco’s area code, has soared in recent days—jumping from 3,000 last week to 130,000 on Thursday.—
Mandy Taheri,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The rest of the women are in swimsuits … because Mel still can’t comprehend that women over 45 are hot.—
Ali Barthwell,
Vulture,
9 Oct. 2025
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This loss is especially difficult to comprehend.—
Joe Davidson,
Sacbee.com,
28 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Qualcomm’s chip can run Linux, along with Arduino software, and can even do computer vision, which deciphers what a camera sees and translates it into software.—
Kif Leswing,
CNBC,
7 Oct. 2025
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Its strong first-week performance suggests there is, in fact, an audience hoping to decipher the mind of Ye all of these years later.—
Jeff Ihaza,
Rolling Stone,
23 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Bendicksen, the center’s director of wildlife rehabilitation, decided to attempt something few would consider, a wing transplant.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Oct. 2025
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Timberview decided to go for it on fourth-and-five but was stopped at the Jaguars’ 10-yard line.—
Jordan Neal,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
11 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Although Florida is known for its excellent largemouth bass fishing, South Florida has a couple of exotic species that local anglers appreciate even more — peacock bass and snakeheads.—
Steve Waters,
Miami Herald,
10 Oct. 2025
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Like the Earth sign, the righteous dog detective Scooby doesn't appreciate confrontation and gets frightened in scary situations.—
Lisa Stardust,
PEOPLE,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The hairs on the back of the neck still stand up now when thinking of the post-match celebrations after David Seaman’s penalty save dumped out Spain in the quarter-finals.—
Richard Sutcliffe,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
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Because nothing lifts your spirits like discovering somebody on the other side of the world who thinks like you — or, even better, sees things in an entirely different way.—
The Dial,
The Dial,
7 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Understand.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/understand. Accessed 12 Oct. 2025.
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