Synonyms for comprehend
Synonyms by meaning
Verb
1. Grasp
grasp, understand, fathom, apprehend, know, discern, conceive, get the picture informal, penetrate, catch, dig, savvy informal, compass, twig, grok slang
Definitions
- v. 1
To understand or grasp fully and thoroughly; to plumb.
I just can't comprehend how someone could be a butcher and vegetarian at the same time.
Related words
Forms
- Past participle
- comprehended
e.g. comprehended → grasped, fathomed, apprehended, known…
Choose the right word
In the figurative sense, catch is used of any act that brings a person or thing into our power or possession; as, to catch a criminal in the act; to catch an idea, in the sense of apprehend or comprehend.
J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)
Example sentences
- grasp I was able to grasp the main points of the speech.
- fathom The horror Yanni experienced is hard to fathom.
- discern It is hard to discern between the true and the false.
- apprehend Are you coming willingly, or do I have to apprehend you?
- embrace He was trying to persuade me to embrace his ideas.
- encompass Writing cannot express all words, words cannot encompass all ideas.
By length
- 3 letters
- see1, dig1
- 4 letters
- know1, twig1, grok
- 5 letters
- cover2, catch1, grasp1, savvy2
- 6 letters
- fathom2, embody3
- 7 letters
- include2, contain2, involve2, embrace2, compass2, discern2, enclose2
- 8 letters
- perceive2, comprise2, conceive2, encircle3, comprend
- 9 letters
- penetrate3, encompass3, apprehend3
- 10 letters
- understand3
- 11 letters
- incorporate4
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (cover2 = 2 syllables).