Pronunciation
- (RP) enPR: ŭn(′)dər-stănd', IPA: /(ˌ)ʌndəˈstænd/,
- (America) enPR: ŭn′dər-stănd', IPA: /ˌʌndɚˈstænd/, [ˌʌɾ̃ɚˈstænd], [ˌʌɾ̃ɚˈsteə̯nd]
- (Ireland) IPA: /ˌɞndəɹˈstand/
understand (understands, present participle understanding; past and past participle understood)
- (transitive) To grasp a concept fully and thoroughly, especially (of words, statements, art, etc.) to be aware of the meaning of and (of people) to be aware of the intent of.
- 1892, Walter Besant, “Prologue: Who is Edmund Gray?”, in The Ivory Gate: A Novel, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, […], OCLC 16832619 ↗:
- Thus, when he drew up instructions in lawyer language, he expressed the important words by an initial, a medial, or a final consonant, and made scratches for all the words between; his clerks, however, understood him very well.
- 1991, Stephen Fry, The Liar, p. 20:
- ‘I came back here, had a wank and finished that book.’
‘The Naked Lunch?’
‘Yeah.’
‘What did you reckon?’
‘Crap.’
‘You're just saying that because you didn't understand it,’ said Adrian.
‘I'm just saying that because I did understand it,’ said Tom. ‘Any road up, we'd better start making some toast.’
- ‘I came back here, had a wank and finished that book.’
- I'm sorry. I don't understand.
- Please try to understand. It's not you, it's me.
- To believe, to think one grasps sufficiently despite potentially incomplete knowledge.
- I understand that you have a package for me?
- In the imperative mood, the word “you” is usually understood.
- (humorous, rare, obsolete, except in, circus, acrobatics) To stand underneath, to support.
- (to fully grasp a concept) apprehend, comprehend, grasp, know, perceive, pick up what someone is putting down, realise, grok
- (to believe one grasps a concept) believe
- French: comprendre
- German: verstehen, begreifen
- Italian: capire, comprendere, intendere
- Portuguese: compreender, entender, perceber
- Russian: понима́ть
- Spanish: entender, comprender
- German: verstehen
- Portuguese: compreender
- Russian: понима́ть
- Spanish: comprender
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