comprehend
verb
Henry Osborn TaylorThomas B. SilverPerry Meisel
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To comprehend is to mentally grasp something's complete nature or meaning. Comprehend is thus often a bit stronger than understand: for example, you may understand the instructions in a handbook without completely comprehending their purpose. Comprehend's second meaning is much less common. Using that sense of the word, we could say that good manners comprehends (that is, includes) more than simple table etiquette, for example, or that true courage comprehends more than just physical showing off. And something comprehensive includes a great deal: so a comprehensive exam, for instance, includes all the material that was studied in the course.
Synonyms
Examples of comprehend in a Sentence
Dr. Aviva Legatt, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
While the extra attention can be weird for both mother and son to comprehend, Zach is ultimately happy to have his mom by his side.
—Emily Krauser, Peoplemag, 22 Mar. 2024
Fanon's surreal denial of this knowledge, his belief that somehow slicing the throat of the colonizer will lead to a new, more equitable reality and not just more violence, is hard to comprehend.
—Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 28 Mar. 2024
In addition to training chatbots on how to comprehend customer intent, organizations should also implement ongoing testing and optimization procedures to identify and address potential issues before customers encounter them or are negatively impacted by them.
—Alok Kulkarni, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
The numbers coming out of Gaza can be hard to comprehend.
—Cate Brown, Washington Post, 25 Mar. 2024
List making to comprehend infinity and ensure immortality!
—Kanya Kanchana, Longreads, 21 Mar. 2024
That’s partly why so many people find the palace’s PR strategy around the Case of the Missing Princess hard to comprehend.
—Allison Morrow, CNN, 20 Mar. 2024
Expert testimony on Aguilar Mendez's inability to comprehend English, his cultural background and concerns about his intellectual capacity had raised concerns in the case, said R.J. Larizza, the prosecutor in the case.
—Suzanne Gamboa, NBC News, 4 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'comprehend.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near comprehend
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“Comprehend.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/comprehend. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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comprehend
verb
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