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
“It takes a little bit of time and consistency in order for that vehicle to comprehend what it is that you’re actually asking,” Merena said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 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
It is a fine thing, reader, to be lifted in a moment from indigence to wealth—a very fine thing; but not a matter one can comprehend, or consequently enjoy, all at once.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
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
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
I intellectually comprehended this rule, but living through it was another thing entirely.
From Slate ● Sep. 4, 2025
“The Argonauts” revolutionized the way queer family-making is written about, talked about and comprehended.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 14, 2025
“I don't think we really comprehended that at the time.”
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2024
But none of them, may I say, has fully comprehended the reasons for the attitude France has adopted towards her neighbour.
From "The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro
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
The trick to figuring out the truth is accepting nothing at face value and comprehending that what we imagined for ourselves may not be preferable to what’s right in front of us.
From Salon ● Aug. 21, 2025
"The public... has no way of comprehending the artist's work, which raises questions over our whole mission of public service," Ms des Cars said.
From BBC ● Jan. 28, 2025
As I stood at the door, not fully comprehending the sight, the trucks began to roll in.
From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez
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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