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Definitions

understand

[uhn-der-stand] / ˌʌn dərˈstænd /




Usage

What are other ways to say understand? 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. 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 comprehend is to know something thoroughly and to perceive its relationships to certain other ideas, facts, etc. 

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.

“And it’s only an unfortunate circumstance of this huge epidemic that we were able to get samples and look at chains of transmission and really understand what the virus is doing to people.”

From MarketWatch • May 17, 2026

“I was relying on Reddit forums to understand what was happening to my body,” she said.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 17, 2026

Hunter-Neill said he could not understand why the controversy erupted last year as the event had been running for 10 years.

From BBC • May 17, 2026

It’s not trivializing this summit or missing the point, I would argue, to understand it as first and foremost a semiotic spectacle, conducted through language, symbols and signifiers.

From Salon • May 17, 2026

It’s becoming caustic and accusatory, and I don’t understand how or why it’s happening this way.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse




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