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.
Former JGR teammate Hamlin wrote on X: “Absolutely cannot comprehend this news. We just need to think of his family during this time. We love you KB.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 22, 2026
They are concerned with justice, as far as they can comprehend its meaning from the stories George reads to them.
From Salon • May 17, 2026
When the Apollo program ended in 1972, we children couldn’t comprehend budget constraints or having bested our Soviet rivals in a long-running “space race.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026
"Over those years it was just too intense, too fierce, and things happened which even today I cannot comprehend why he has done them," Wolff said.
From BBC • Mar. 30, 2026
They say much of blood and bloom, and of others which I comprehend not, though I guess what they mean; but nevertheless they tell us all things which we want to know.
From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker
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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