construe

1 of 2

verb

con·​strue kən-ˈstrü How to pronounce construe (audio)
construed; construing

transitive verb

1
: to analyze the arrangement and connection of words in (a sentence or sentence part)
construe this Latin sentence by Cicero
2
: to understand or explain the sense or intention of usually in a particular way or with respect to a given set of circumstances
construed my actions as hostile
Her frustration was construed as anger.

intransitive verb

: to construe a sentence or sentence part especially in connection with translating
construable adjective

construe

2 of 2

noun

con·​strue ˈkän-ˌstrü How to pronounce construe (audio)
: an act or the result of construing especially by piecemeal translation

Did you know?

Construe comes from the Latin verb construere, meaning "to construct." There is also misconstrue, meaning "to put a wrong construction (that is, a wrong interpretation) on" or "to misinterpret."

Did you know?

Construe can usually be translated as "interpret". It's often used in law; thus, an Attorney General might construe the term "serious injury" in a child-abuse law to include bruises, or a judge might construe language about gifts to "heirs" to include spouses. The IRS's construal of some of your activities might be different from your own—and much more expensive at tax time. Construing is also close to translating; so when the British say "public school", for instance, it should be construed or translated as "prep school" in American terms.

Examples of construe in a Sentence

Verb The way the court construes various words has changed over time. the role of the justices of the Supreme Court in construing the constitution
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
In particular, the airdrops – a second set was carried out Tuesday – only underscore for many Mr. Biden’s refusal since the beginning of the war to take any steps that might be construed as dictating actions to Israel or imposing any restraint on its right to self-defense. Howard Lafranchi, The Christian Science Monitor, 5 Mar. 2024 Tracy, who makes a hobby of researching dictators, deliberately expunged anything in the series that could be construed as a parallel to real-world events. Lili Loofbourow, Washington Post, 2 Mar. 2024 Even the idea that Apple would flirt with betting is curious, because the company has traditionally been pretty averse to anything that could be construed as a vice. Jacob Stern, The Atlantic, 2 Mar. 2024 Signs and posters must be under 2 feet by 3 feet, may not be attached to a pole or stick, and bear no message which may be construed as offensive. The Arizona Republic, 24 Jan. 2024 Furthermore, why agree to a legislative formula that the courts could justifiably construe as divesting the president of his previously existing statutory authority to close the border? Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review, 6 Feb. 2024 Under that ruling, even public statements by the president about the teen mental health crisis could be construed as undue pressure, Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar argued in a legal filing. Sarah Owermohle, STAT, 6 Feb. 2024 Freeze-thaw erosion — in which water enters cracks in the rock and then freezes and expands overnight, enlarging cracks and causing parts of the rock to break off — is the most likely cause for the shape that human eyes construed as pyramidal. Benjamin Plackett, Discover Magazine, 15 Jan. 2024 Smith, to the contrary, construes the order as meaning merely that Chutkan will not issue rulings on pending issues and will not take substantive actions until the immunity appeal is resolved. Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review, 6 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'construe.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Late Latin construere, from Latin, to construct

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

1844, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of construe was in the 14th century

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Dictionary Entries Near construe

Cite this Entry

“Construe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/construe. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

construe

verb
con·​strue
kən-ˈstrü
construed; construing
1
: to explain the grammatical relationships of the words in a sentence, clause, or phrase
2
: to understand or explain the sense or intention of : interpret
construable
-ˈstrü-ə-bəl
adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on construe

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