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.
See Examples For:
She still can imagine finding satisfaction in other fields — medicine, psychology, design — but the idea of giving up acting is almost impossible to comprehend.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 11, 2026
"You see it in other countries and it's just something that I didn't comprehend could happen here."
From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026
“There is no privileged access to understanding its direction. You need to look through as many windows as possible. We humans are limited and exhausted and can’t comprehend the world in its fullness.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
At first, she struggled to comprehend the danger.
From Barron's ● Sep. 6, 2026
She did not seem to understand that he could not comprehend a war at all, brief or not.
From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
College Football Brain is why we still have Zombie Bowl games layered on top of this 12-team playoff, as if anyone actually cares or comprehends why the quarterfinal needs to masquerade as the Cotton Bowl.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 1, 2025
They communicate verbally and also, often in games, only with a nod or a look that the other instantly comprehends.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2024
“I don’t think she comprehends the breadth and depth of the suffering she has caused,” a tearful Ruetten said.
From Seattle Times ● May 21, 2024
She comprehends the win-win dynamic of a dual hosting model, especially when the other host is a professional comic.
From Salon ● Oct. 1, 2023
He comprehends it, being a man full grown, able to oversee the kind of house Zeus would endow with honor.
From "The Odyssey" by Homer
What I hadn’t fully comprehended is how much an ongoing financial advisory relationship would cost.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2026
"I hadn't really comprehended the fact that maybe I was," Bell tells BBC Sport.
From BBC ● Apr. 9, 2026
Online discourse about any show ignites an array of interpretations concerning the producers’ choices, along with revealing who comprehended King’s overarching messages concerning fear.
From Salon ● Dec. 8, 2025
The standings spoke for themselves, but the Angels’ management wanted you to know they had comprehended the lesson.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2025
She comprehended the perversity of life, that in the struggle lies the joy.
From "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou
Volatile tech markets reflect the challenges of comprehending and valuing the growth of AI companies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
"She's nonverbal, so we're not sure how much she is comprehending about what is going on at the moment," Lauer told AFP.
From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026
“Higher capacity is required for complex transactions like contracts, which require not just grasping the immediate exchange, but also comprehending finer details, consequences and the broader context.”
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026
And once comprehending, shall he go with the flow?
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 9, 2026
“Mr. Curtain’s boosting the power,” Reynie said gravely, and when Kate and Sticky looked at him, still not comprehending, he said, “It’s the hidden messages. Our minds are reacting to them.”
From "The Mysterious Benedict Society" by Trenton Lee Stewart
Vocabulary lists containing comprehend
Vocabulary of the Common Core
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