understand

English dictionary entry

Meanings

verb

To know the meaning of; to parse or have parsed correctly; to comprehend.
To know the meaning of.
To be thoroughly familiar with; to be able to undertake properly.
To comprehend a fact or principle; to regard or come to regard a belief as such.
To know the intent, motives or character of; (of events) to know the causes of or reasons for.
To believe or infer, to think one grasps sufficiently despite potentially incomplete knowledge.
To regard as present when not.
To stand underneath, to support.

intj

Uh-huh, I see; a way to acknowledge something said by the other speaker.

Pronunciation

ŭn(′)dər-stănd' /ˌʌndəˈstænd/ /ʌndəˈstænd/ En-uk-to understand.ogg ŭn′dər-stănd' /ˌʌndɚˈstænd/ [ˌʌɾ̃ɚˈstæ̃nd] [ˌʌɾ̃ɚˈsteə̯nd] /ˌʌndɚˈsteə̯nd/ en-us-understand.ogg /ˌɞndəɹˈstand/ /əɳɖə(r)ˈsʈaɳɖ/ /əɳˈɖɜ(r).sʈəɳɖ/

Word forms

understand understands understanding understood no-table-tags glossary understandest understoodest understandeth understanded understaund

Etymology

From Middle English understanden, from Old English understandan (“to understand”), from Proto-West Germanic *understandan (“to stand between, understand”), from Proto-Germanic *understandaną (“to stand between, understand”), equivalent to Old English under- (“between, inter-”) + standan (“to stand”) (Modern English under- + stand). Cognate with Old Frisian understonda (“to understand, experience, learn”), Old High German understantan (“to understand”), Middle Danish understande (“to understand”). Compare also Saterland Frisian understunda, unnerstounde (“to dare, survey, measure”), Dutch onderstaan (“to undertake, presume”), German unterstehen (“to be subordinate”).

Synonyms

apprehend comprehend grasp know perceive pick up what someone is putting down realise get compass conceive discern grok believe

Antonyms

misunderstand

Related words

explain why

Derived words

do you understand give someone to understand I don’t understand understandable understander understanding understand the assignment understand trap understood you understood

Translations

Abkhaz: аилкаара Afrikaans: verstaan Albanian: kuptoj Albanian: përvetësoj Albanian: N'zë Southern Altai: оҥдоор American Sign Language: SmallO@NearSfhead-PalmBack Release Amharic: ተረዳ Andi: бичӏчӏунну Arabic: فَهِمَ Arabic: فهم Arabic: فِهِم Armenian: հասկանալ Aromanian: duchescu Aromanian: prindu Aromanian: achicãsescu Aromanian: ntsileg Aromanian: apucupescu Aromanian: ayrãxescu Assamese: বুজা Assamese: বুজি পোৱা Asturian: entender Avar: бичӏчӏизе Azerbaijani: anlamaq Azerbaijani: başa düşmək Azerbaijani: qanmaq Azerbaijani: başı çıxmaq Bashkir: аңлау Bashkir: төшөнөү Basque: aditu Basque: entelegatu Basque: konprenitu Basque: ulertu Belarusian: разуме́ць Belarusian: зразуме́ць Bengali: বোঝা Bhojpuri: बुझईल Central Bikol: sabot Breton: kompren Bulgarian: разби́рам Bulgarian: разбера́ Burmese: နားလည် Buryat: ойлгохо Buryat: мэдэхэ Catalan: entendre Catalan: comprendre Cebuano: sabot Chechen: кхета Cherokee: ᎪᎵᎦ Chinese Cantonese: 明白 Chinese: минбый Chinese: дун Chinese Mandarin: 明白 Chinese Mandarin: 懂 Chinese Mandarin: 了解 /暸解 Chinese Mandarin: 理解 Chinese Mandarin: 看得懂 Chinese Mandarin: 聽得懂 /听得懂 Czech: rozumět Czech: porozumět Danish: forstå Danish: fatte Danish: begribe Dolgan: туолкулаа Dutch: begrijpen Dutch: snappen Dzongkha: ཧ་གོ Esperanto: kompreni Estonian: mõistma Faroese: skilja Faroese: forstanda Finnish: ymmärtää Finnish: osata Finnish: tajuta Finnish: käsittää Finnish: älytä Finnish: kässätä Finnish: snaijata Finnish: bonjata Finnish: hiffata

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