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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:

Many of these kids, however, only fully understand Quechua, an Indigenous language spoken by around 10 million people across multiple South American countries.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 10, 2026

That is why bona fide journalists who understand the law did not wade in.

From BBC ● Nov. 10, 2026

“If you’re going to accuse a student of using AI you need to understand the impact it has on the student and give them the proper due process,” said Evan Nelson, Kato’s attorney.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 10, 2026

“I understand why Waller went there,” said Vincent Ahn, portfolio manage at SLW Investments.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 10, 2026

“When are you going to understand that you can’t make something out of nothing? You need to learn to stop watering dead things.”

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

The BBC understands that the UK government is reluctant to set any new goals at COP31 and thinks the focus should be on achieving existing agreements.

From BBC ● Nov. 9, 2026

If anyone understands how to make something last — filmmaker Denis Villeneuve said at Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s Art + Film Gala — it is the artist Vija Celmins.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 8, 2026

That’s a concept that Bianco, a law enforcement professional, surely understands.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 8, 2026

The idea that hype is something a talking head understands and the market overlooked is absurd.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026

SABIO, BEX: Why am I the only one who understands the concept of soundproofing?

From "The First State of Being" by Erin Entrada Kelly

England players are understood to have aired strong views about their World Cup semi-final defeat by Argentina in a team meeting.

From BBC ● Nov. 9, 2026

“I understood why I naturally adapted to it, or grew closer to the idea of what being a barber really was for me, especially being fourth-generation.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 9, 2026

His siblings say their mother could not have understood what she was signing because she was "desperately unwell".

From BBC ● Nov. 9, 2026

"Suddenly they understood the spirit of Eurovision," he said of those involved, hailing "the music, the extravagance".

From Barron's ● Nov. 8, 2026

If anyone understood not wanting to be seen, it was me.

From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows

“This motion builds on existing work and seeks to establish a clearer process for identifying these groups and understanding the county’s options for accountability,” Mitchell said Tuesday.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 10, 2026

WARSAW—Poland has one of the strongest economies in Europe, one of NATO’s highest rates of military spending and a nearly unmatched understanding of Russia’s threat to the continent.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 10, 2026

Together, the two studies offer a more detailed understanding of how diet, gut microbes, and the body's own metabolism interact.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 9, 2026

Jim Dickson, MP for Dartford, said women experiencing serious mental health difficulties deserved "care that treats them with dignity, compassion and an understanding of their individual needs".

From BBC ● Nov. 9, 2026

I’m already shaking my head, impatient myself at his lack of understanding.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse


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