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.
Thank whatever god responsible that never happened, because the devastation of dropping just one nuke would be so horrendous that we can barely comprehend it.
From Salon • May 8, 2026
When the Apollo program ended in 1972, we children couldn’t comprehend budget constraints or having bested our Soviet rivals in a long-running “space race.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026
"Over those years it was just too intense, too fierce, and things happened which even today I cannot comprehend why he has done them," Wolff said.
From BBC • Mar. 30, 2026
The exciting and the scary part of artificial intelligence is there are things the human brain will not be able to comprehend.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026
For a man who had fought so long and hard for freedom, it is astonishing Washington could not comprehend that an enslaved person might want the same right.
From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis
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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