understand

understand
un|der|stand
W1S1 [ˌʌndəˈstænd US -ər-] v past tense and past participle understood [-ˈstud]
[not in progressive]
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
1¦(meaning)¦
2¦(fact/idea)¦
3¦(person/feelings)¦
4¦(believe/think)¦
5 give somebody to understand (that)
6 be understood (that)
7 understand something to be/mean something
8 do you understand?
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
[: Old English; Origin: understandan, from under + standan 'to stand']
1.) ¦(MEANING)¦ [I and T]
to know the meaning of what someone is telling you, or the language that they speak
▪ She doesn't understand English.
▪ I'm sorry, I don't understand. Can you explain that again?
▪ The woman had a strong accent, and I couldn't understand what she was saying.
make yourself understood
(=make what you say clear to other people, especially when speaking a foreign language)
▪ I'm not very good at German, but I can make myself understood.
2.) ¦(FACT/IDEA)¦ [I and T]
to know or realize how a fact, process, situation etc works, especially through learning or experience
▪ I don't really understand the political situation in Northern Ireland.
understand how/why/where etc
▪ You don't need to understand how computers work to be able to use them.
▪ How the drug works isn't fully understood .
understand (that)
▪ I understand that this treatment may not work.
3.) ¦(PERSON/FEELINGS)¦ [I and T]
to realize how someone feels and why they behave the way they do, and to be sympathetic
▪ My parents just don't understand me.
▪ Just tell him how you feel - I'm sure he'll understand.
understand how/what etc
▪ I understand how you feel, but I think you're overreacting.
(can) understand sb doing sth
▪ I can understand her wanting to live alone and be independent.
4.) ¦(BELIEVE/THINK)¦ [T]
to believe or think that something is true because you have heard it or read it
understand (that)
▪ 'I understand that he was 62 when he died,' McLeish said.
it is understood (that)
▪ It is understood that the Queen approves of her nephew's romance.
be understood to be (doing) sth
▪ Dillons is understood to be reorganising the company's management structure.
5.) give sb to understand (that)
formal to make someone believe that something is true, going to happen etc, without telling them this directly
▪ I was given to understand that the property was in good condition.
6.) be understood (that)
formal if something is understood, everyone knows it, or has agreed to it, and there is no need to discuss it
▪ From childhood it was understood that your parents would choose your husband.
7.) understand sth to be/mean sth
to accept something as having a particular meaning
▪ In this document, 'children' is understood to mean people under 14.
8.) do you understand?
spoken used when you are telling someone what they should or should not do, especially when you are angry with them
▪ Never speak to me like that again! Do you understand?

Dictionary of contemporary English. 2013.

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Synonyms:
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Look at other dictionaries:

  • understand — understand, comprehend, appreciate mean to have a clear idea or conception or full and exact knowledge of something. Understand and comprehend both imply an obtaining of a mental grasp of something and in much of their use are freely… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • Understand — Un der*stand ([u^]n d[ e]r*st[a^]nd ), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Understood} (([u^]n d[ e]r*st[oo^]d ),), and Archaic {Understanded}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Understanding}.] [OE. understanden, AS. understandan, literally, to stand under; cf. AS. forstandan… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • understand — [un΄dər stand′] vt. understood, understanding [ME understanden < OE understandan, lit., to stand among, hence observe, understand] 1. to get or perceive the meaning of; know or grasp what is meant by; comprehend [to understand a question] 2.… …   English World dictionary

  • Understand — is a commercial static code analysis software tool produced by SciTools. It is primarily used to reverse engineer, automatically document, and calculate code metrics for projects with large code bases.Understand works through an IDE designed to… …   Wikipedia

  • Understand — Un der*stand , v. i. 1. To have the use of the intellectual faculties; to be an intelligent being. [1913 Webster] Imparadised in you, in whom alone I understand, and grow, and see. Donne. [1913 Webster] 2. To be informed; to have or receive… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • understand — (v.) O.E. understandan comprehend, grasp the idea of, probably lit. stand in the midst of, from under + standan to stand (see STAND (Cf. stand)). If this is the meaning, the under is not the usual word meaning beneath, but from O.E. under, from… …   Etymology dictionary

  • understand — [v1] appreciate, comprehend accept, apprehend, be aware, be conscious of, be with it*, catch, catch on, conceive, deduce, discern, distinguish, explain, fathom, figure out, find out, follow, get*, get the hang of*, get the idea*, get the picture* …   New thesaurus

  • understand — I verb absorb, apperceive, appreciate, apprehend, assimilate, be apprised, be informed, cognize, comprehend, conceive, conclude, conjecture, deduce, digest, discern, fathom, gather, glean, grasp, infer, intellegere, internalize, know, learn,… …   Law dictionary

  • understand by — index construe (comprehend) Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • understand — ► VERB (past and past part. understood) 1) perceive the intended meaning of (words, a language, or a speaker). 2) perceive the significance, explanation, or cause of. 3) interpret or view in a particular way. 4) infer from information received.… …   English terms dictionary

  • understand */*/*/ — UK [ˌʌndə(r)ˈstænd] / US [ˌʌndərˈstænd] verb [never progressive] Word forms understand : present tense I/you/we/they understand he/she/it understands present participle understanding past tense understood UK [ˌʌndə(r)ˈstʊd] / US [ˌʌndərˈstʊd]… …   English dictionary

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