(not used in the progressive tenses)
meaning
1 to know or realize the meaning of words, a language, what sb says, etc:
[VN] Can you understand French? * Do you understand the instructions? * She didn't understand the form she was signing. * [V] I'm not sure that I understand. Go over it again. * (figurative) I don't want you doing that again. Do you understand? * [Vwh-] I don't understand what he's saying.
how sth works / happens
2 to know or realize how or why sth happens, how it works or why it is important:
[VN] Doctors still don't understand much about the disease. * No one is answering the phone-I can't understand it. * [Vwh-] I could never understand why she was fired. * They're too young to understand what is happening. * [VN-ing] I just can't understand him taking the money. * (formal) I just can't understand his taking the money. [also Vthat, V]
know sb
3 to know sb's character, how they feel and why they behave in the way they do:
[VN] Nobody understands me. * He doesn't understand women at all. * We understand each other, even if we don't always agree. * [Vwh-] They understand what I have been through. * I understand how hard things have been for you. * [Vthat] I quite understand that you need some time alone. * [VN-ing] I quite understand you needing some time alone. * [V] If you want to leave early, I'm sure he'll understand.
think / believe
4 (formal) to think or believe that sth is true because you have been told that it is:
[V(that)] I understand (that) you wish to see the manager. * Am I to understand that you refuse? * [VNtoinf] The Prime Minister is understood to have been extremely angry about the report. * [VNthat] It is understood that the band are working on their next album.
be agreed
5 [VN(that)] [usuallypassive] to agree sth with sb without it needing to be said:
I thought it was understood that my expenses would be paid.
missing word
6 [VN] [usuallypassive] to realize that a word in a phrase or sentence is not expressed and to supply it in your mind:
In the sentence 'I can't drive', the object 'a car' is understood.
IDIOMS
make yourself understood to make your meaning clear, especially in another language:
He doesn't speak much Japanese but he can make himself understood.
moreatGIVEv.
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About this entry
This is a English–English dictionary entry.
Sourced from Main Dictionary in Lughet's collection.
This word also appears under other sources in Lughet's collection — see the list below.
Where does this definition of understand come from?
This entry for understand is sourced from Main Dictionary, one of the dictionaries and corpora merged into Lughet.
Does understand appear elsewhere on Lughet?
Yes — understand appears under other sources or language pairs in Lughet's collection. See the list below.
What is Lughet?
Lughet is a free trilingual dictionary covering nearly five million entries across Uyghur, Chinese, and English, drawn from more than ten source dictionaries and corpora.
