misunderstand

verb

mis·​un·​der·​stand (ˌ)mi-ˌsən-dər-ˈstand How to pronounce misunderstand (audio)
misunderstood (ˌ)mi-ˌsən-dər-ˈstu̇d How to pronounce misunderstand (audio) ; misunderstanding

transitive verb

1
: to fail to understand
2
: to interpret incorrectly

Examples of misunderstand in a Sentence

Don't misunderstand me—I'm not criticizing your decision. He feels that the critics have completely misunderstood his movies. She expressed herself in clear terms that no one could misunderstand.
Recent Examples on the Web On the flip side, those who neglect, fear or misunderstand AI may face considerable challenges. Bart Caylor, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 People who had been rooting for the Supreme Court to reject Mr. Trump’s appeal entirely, whether by denying review of or summarily affirming an appeals court ruling against Mr. Trump, misunderstand the court’s conception of its own power and importance. Adam Liptak, New York Times, 29 Feb. 2024 His social media is littered with inspirational quotes about pushing through doubt, about relentlessness, about prevailing despite some people misunderstanding his story. Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 29 Feb. 2024 But there is a danger that both parties are misunderstanding the lessons of the 1970s. Niall Ferguson, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024 After Mark Ruffalo seemed to confirm Bruce Banner’s appearance in the forthcoming Captain America: Brave New World, a source confirmed to EW that the actor misunderstood the question and Ruffalo/Banner/Hulk won’t be in the movie after all. EW.com, 13 Feb. 2024 Ho and Petrou said the vast majority of semaglutide overdose reports are accidental, either due to patients not waiting a week between doses or by misunderstanding dosing instructions. Tribune News Service, Hartford Courant, 1 Jan. 2024 But McArdle, like Democrats, Republicans, and Supply-Siders, misunderstands what happened with the Reagan tax cuts and why deficits soared in concert with them. John Tamny, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024 Read Next Hurricane Folks misunderstand hurricane ‘cone of uncertainty,’ study shows. Max Chesnes, Miami Herald, 6 Feb. 2024

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

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of misunderstand was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near misunderstand

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

misunderstand

verb
mis·​un·​der·​stand (ˌ)mis-ˌən-dər-ˈstand How to pronounce misunderstand (audio)
misunderstood -ˈstu̇d How to pronounce misunderstand (audio) ; misunderstanding
1
: to fail to understand
2
: to interpret incorrectly

More from Merriam-Webster on misunderstand

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