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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.

See Examples For:

Despite decades of research, scientists still do not fully understand why radioactive particles from Chornobyl break down at different speeds.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 23, 2026

Winemakers are trying to understand and adapt to these new customers who care more about environmental and social justice practices than about brands.

From Barron's ● Oct. 23, 2026

In particular, the fired researchers said they had raised concerns inside OpenAI about potential new AI designs, or “architectures,” that could accelerate capabilities, but make the systems even harder to understand or control.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026

“People didn’t understand it because they weren’t used to it. They were used to basic reggaeton,” Torres says.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026

And because of all those things, I now fully understand why the Flash has to take place.

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold

The BBC understands another woman complained to the force about Harvey before he met Catherine but was told he had not committed an offence.

From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026

This is all incredibly normal, accepted behaviour which anyone who attends a concert regularly already understands.

From Salon ● Oct. 21, 2026

“Who understands the battlefield data and can make decisions faster, Russia or Ukraine—this side will have the biggest benefits,” says Danylo Tsvok, A1’s CEO.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026

"Peter Rice understands talent relations, and in a competitive market, creative talent have choices of where they want to work," Sarandos said on the call Tuesday.

From Barron's ● Oct. 20, 2026

Not everyone fully understands the true power of ABBA, but you'll be hard-pressed to find an Iranian who doesn't love their entire catalog of music.

From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi

It is understood Fernandes' family were not in the house in Cheshire when it was broken into and that the intruders were inside for less than five minutes before police arrived.

From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026

But he surely understood that this was an incautiously brief period of measurement, for the river’s annual flow was wildly variable, ranging from about 9.1 million to 25 million acre-feet during the 20-year sampling.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026

Scientists already understood that excessive double-stranded RNA could provoke potentially harmful immune responses.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 21, 2026

But I am an apple-picking person, and my Dad was an apple-picking person, and I think he understood even then that some things are worth risking an eye for.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026

To my relief I honestly did not know any of the names he read— now I understood the wisdom of the ubiquitous “Mr. Smit.”

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

"A dialogue may be pursued with the understanding of Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping," said Yang Moo-jin, former president of the University of North Korean Studies.

From Barron's ● Oct. 23, 2026

A better understanding of the cellular mechanisms that control neuron production and brain growth could ultimately help researchers study developmental disorders affecting the human brain.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 22, 2026

"I was just over 20, I was probably a little too impatient, without really understanding how much I still had to learn. I wanted to write, I was reading a lot," he wrote.

From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2026

As knowledge and understanding diminish, so does the quality of thinking.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026

I learn that the rock samples I brought back have advanced human understanding of Mars.

From "A Rover's Story" by Jasmine Warga


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