Synonyms of understands

understands

verb

present tense third-person singular of understand

1

as in derives

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

• derives
• decides
• thinks
• concludes
• infers
• assumes
• deduces
• extrapolates
• reasons
• judges
• speculates
• guesses
• supposes
• ascertains
• reads
• gathers
• makes out
• interprets
• draws a conclusion
• contemplates
• surmises
• construes
• rationalizes
• philosophizes
• conjectures
• finds out
• dopes (out)

2

as in knows

to have a practical understanding of

I think I understand how an engine works now

Synonyms & Similar Words

• knows
• comprehends
• grasps
• appreciates
• possesses
• perceives
• apprehends
• follows
• cognizes
• has
• kens
• savvies
• fathoms
• catches on (to)
• picks up

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• misunderstands
• misinterprets
• misconceives
• misapprehends
• misperceives
• misknows

3

as in recognizes

to have a clear idea of

after a few weeks in Russia I began to understand the language a little bit

Synonyms & Similar Words

• knows
• recognizes
• comprehends
• appreciates
• sees
• deciphers
• grasps
• realizes
• perceives
• discerns
• gets
• conceives
• senses
• intuits
• apprehends
• makes
• beholds
• assimilates
• decodes
• cognizes
• seizes
• registers
• tumbles (to)
• digs
• groks
• makes out
• catches on (to)
• catches
• twigs
• absorbs
• picks up on
• savvies
• cottons (to or on to)
• compasses
• digests
• penetrates
• takes in
• pierces
• fathoms

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• misses
• misunderstands
• misinterprets
• mistakes
• misreads
• misconstrues
• misconceives
• misapprehends
• misperceives

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of understands

On Friday, Hassett said that the administration understands the pressure that rising energy prices puts on consumers. — Steve Kopack, NBC news, 4 Sep. 2026

Senior kicker Nate McCashland understands what the Goggins family is going through, with his younger brother having leukemia at a young age, and talked about how inspiring Heston is. — Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Sep. 2026

Bravo did not offer any clarity on whether there would be any type of internal investigation into Gallagher, and Rolling Stone understands that Gallagher will not be edited out of the remaining episodes of the currently airing season. — Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 4 Sep. 2026

Day understands that’s what being Ohio State’s coach entails. — Cameron Teague Robinson, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026

Broward County Public Schools understands the concerns raised regarding the selection of a speaker for an upcoming event. — Lauren Costantino, Miami Herald, 4 Sep. 2026

Deadline understands that the season was filmed before the incident in December, and there are reportedly no plans to remove Gallagher from the episodes. — Glenn Garner, Deadline, 4 Sep. 2026

Luiz understands that aspect, too, acknowledging that Sporting KC needed him four separate times during Thursday’s news conference. — Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 28 Aug. 2026

Churches, neighborhoods, nonprofits, businesses, utilities and government should periodically engage in preparedness exercises so everyone understands their role. — Freida Graves, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2026