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:
“They’re not frolicking anymore. She’s being faced with something that she couldn’t previously comprehend because she doesn’t have that darkness within her.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 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
Locals, meanwhile, are struggling to comprehend why anyone would wish harm on the well-liked Haines.
From Barron's ● Oct. 20, 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
“Yet they live on. Perhaps when you can comprehend the reason for their longevity you will have more respect for them.”
From "Gregor the Overlander" by Suzanne Collins
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
While performing in the viola section of an orchestra recently, my mind drifted briefly to the complex method through which the brain comprehends time.
From Salon ● Nov. 5, 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
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
"I don't think 13-year-old me could have comprehended what I'm feeling now."
From BBC ● Nov. 9, 2023
Mrs Who’s spectacles shone out at them triumphantly, “And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.”
From "A Wrinkle in Time" by Madeleine L'Engle
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
Nor can you understand the complexities of computing—the nature of algorithms, or the storage or corruption of data—without comprehending the structural anatomy of digitized information.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
Vocabulary lists containing comprehend
Vocabulary of the Common Core
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Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
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