comprehend
Usage
What are other ways to say comprehend?
To comprehend is to know something thoroughly and to perceive its relationships to certain other ideas, facts, etc. To know is to be aware of something as a fact or truth: He knows the basic facts of the subject. I know that he agrees with me. To understand is to be fully aware not only of the meaning of something but also of its implications: I could comprehend all he said, but did not understand that he was joking.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Children were dying, and as the father of two young girls, I couldn’t comprehend why he would turn away from science.
From Salon • Jun. 8, 2026
"It's just struggling to comprehend how on earth this season has panned out in the way it has," he said.
From BBC • Jun. 7, 2026
More beings will appear too and cinematographer Jeremy Cox’s deliberately low-fi look forces you to do triple and quadruple takes to comprehend what you’re even seeing.
From Los Angeles Times • May 28, 2026
Thank whatever god responsible that never happened, because the devastation of dropping just one nuke would be so horrendous that we can barely comprehend it.
From Salon • May 8, 2026
Something had happened which I could not comprehend; no one knew of or had seen the event but myself: it had taken place the preceding night.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
Vocabulary lists containing comprehend
Vocabulary of the Common Core
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List 4
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Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
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