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

Relevance
2
as in knows
to have a practical understanding of I think I understand how an engine works now

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 understands Deadline understands, for example, that Brittin sat down with Greg Peters when the Netflix co-CEO visited London in recent weeks. — Jake Kanter, Deadline, 8 Oct. 2026 Teplinsky understands this can be a trickier risk factor to avoid completely. — Norah O'Donnell, CBS News, 7 Oct. 2026 Laura Benanti, one of today’s musical comedy all-stars, understands that human fallibility is at the root of genuine hilarity. — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2026 Rather than personalization happening entirely behind the scenes, users can actively shape what the system understands about their taste, creating a strong signal of intent for brands and retailers. — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 6 Oct. 2026 Niccol worked at Yum for more than a decade and understands that scale matters in razor-thin restaurant margins. — Rohan Goswami, semafor.com, 6 Oct. 2026 Finding which one understands its specific challenge may need a conversation where questions can be asked and assumptions tested. — Bankim Chandra, Forbes.com, 6 Oct. 2026 A student who understands the course content should be able to demonstrate that understanding regardless of the evaluation method. — Neetu Arnold, Washington Post, 30 Sep. 2026 Anyone who saw the Hornets get beaten up by Orlando in the NBA Play-In Tournament in April understands that the team had to get more physical at every position. — Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 30 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for understands
  1. derives
  2. knows
  3. recognizes
  4. decides
  5. comprehends
  6. thinks
  7. appreciates
  8. sees
Verb
  • FirstDate primarily derives those preferences from questionnaires.
    — Matthew Tan, CNBC, 4 Oct. 2026
  • The power of prediction markets derives precisely from sucking our attention toward what’s speculable—incentivizing the networked crowd to separate signal from noise at scale.
    — Simon Denny, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of derives
Verb
  • Oscar-winning DoP Greig Fraser knows a thing or two about working on challenging movies, from Dune to The Batman, Rogue One to Zero Dark Thirty.
    — Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 10 Oct. 2026
  • But the tragedy conceals something nobody knows, and the falsehoods about Jung-hyun keep growing.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of knows
Verb
  • The honor recognizes artists whose careers and creative choices illuminate complex, boundary-crossing stories and expand representation in global entertainment.
    — Mathew Scott, HollywoodReporter, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Best Pop Solo Performance can be a space where the Recording Academy recognizes — and perhaps awards — artists with songs that truly connect with the world, regardless of vocal chops.
    — Jaeden Pinder, Rolling Stone, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of recognizes
Verb
  • Cybersecurity specialist Daniel Kellner (Josh O’Connor) decides to turn whistleblower upon discovering that the US government has been suppressing evidence of extra-terrrestrial life, as part of a cover-up that goes back decades.
    — Tom Bailey, Space.com, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Then Sean moves away and grows up to become a spy who, after wrapping up a mission involving smuggling a nuclear warhead for reasons unknown, decides to pay an impromptu visit to his tweenage buddies.
    — Alison Willmore, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of decides
Verb
  • In an oppositional reading of a media text, the audience comprehends that the message conflicts with or contradicts their personal experiences of society.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 5 May 2026
  • In the end, A Guardian and a Thief is a story that comprehends hunger more deeply than the world that produces it.
    — Tope Folarin, The Atlantic, 8 Nov. 2025
Definition of comprehends
Verb
  • And yet Tatham thinks there are lessons to be learned from the interactive world, as long as designers focus on real-world play.
    — Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Oil prices are just one headwind that Tudor Jones thinks the equity market needs to handle at the moment.
    — Davis Giangiulio, CNBC, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of thinks
Verb
  • Maybe the Famesick book tour showed Lena Dunham just how much the world appreciates Girls now, or maybe new HBO owner David Ellison just loves the show that much.
    — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Omelchenko appreciates the study authors’ ability to translate math to real life but notes that fully evaluating the possibilities of new stitches by using torus diagrams would be impractically expensive to compute.
    — Emma Gometz, Scientific American, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of appreciates
Verb
  • This year also sees the debut of Tasveer EDU, which will run sessions throughout the year on development, financing, casting, rights and distribution.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Beyond the food, Robinson sees the event as another example of Kansas City’s increasingly diverse restaurant scene.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of sees

Browse Nearby Words

understandings
understands
understate
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Understands.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/understands. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of deportment

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All