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:
Zidan said he still struggled to comprehend what had happened in the village.
From Barron's ● Jul. 25, 2026
We “can read the language of DNA,” he grants, but “we cannot yet speak it, nor fully comprehend it.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
He added he would "never be able to comprehend" why Baroness Lawrence had decided to "turn on" the Daily Mail, which campaigned on the Lawrence family's behalf.
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
But when the film got started, I quickly began to understand that there was much more to these disorders than my 12-year-old brain could comprehend from a sensational gossip story.
From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026
They have worries, aims, desires, that I cannot comprehend.
From "All Quiet on the Western Front: A Novel" by Erich Maria Remarque
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
Knox comprehends how knotty the process of reconciling with an ending that differs from what we want can be.
From Salon ● Aug. 20, 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
But also he would have understood the other part, which I don’t think even Mercer comprehends.
From "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick
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
He told the inquiry he had been "frustrated" that some government officials had not "comprehended the figures".
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2023
But then you haven’t comprehended the significance of either the zoo or the lion.
From Slate ● Dec. 24, 2022
The smile comprehended Montenegro's troubled history and sympathized with the brave struggles of the Montenegrin people.
From " The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald
And once comprehending, shall he go with the flow?
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 9, 2026
Yet as commander in chief, wisely comprehending that no war to save the Union could be waged, much less won, exclusively by Republicans, Lincoln sought out Democrats to help battle secession.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 5, 2026
"They can't remember what things are called, can't finish a sentence, have trouble comprehending a text."
From BBC ● Feb. 1, 2026
To understand why, one must start with comprehending that narcissism does not make a person totally lack like the ability to be concerned with how others perceive them.
From Salon ● May 9, 2024
‘The star-glass?’ muttered Frodo, as one answering out of sleep, hardly comprehending.
From "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien
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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