Synonyms for understand
Synonyms by meaning
Verb
1. To fully grasp a concept
know, comprehend, discern, grasp, realize, realise UK, perceive, hear informal, learn, recognize UK US, recognise UK, imagine, get informal, assume, fathom, conceive, apprehend, take, take in, figure US, penetrate, catch, savvy informal, fancy
3. Sympathize
sympathize US CA, sympathise UK, empathize, empathise UK
Definitions
- v. 1
To know the meaning of; to parse or have parsed correctly; to comprehend.
Can you repeat what you just said? I didn't understand.
- v. 2
To know the meaning of; to parse or have parsed correctly; to comprehend. To know the meaning of.
- v. 3
To be thoroughly familiar with; to be able to undertake properly.
The students understood the assignment.
Related words
Example sentences
- know You should know better than to ask a lady her age.
- grasp I was able to grasp the main points of the speech.
- comprehend This theory is too difficult for me to comprehend.
- discern It is hard to discern between the true and the false.
- believe They say he is guilty, but I believe the contrary.
- imply A good education doesn't imply a good upbringing.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| understand | rising | |
| know | rising | |
| grasp | rising | |
| comprehend | rising | |
| discern | rising | |
| believe | steady |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 3 letters
- get1, see1
- 4 letters
- know1, take1, read1, hear1
- 5 letters
- learn1, catch1, fancy2, grasp1, imply2, savvy2, infer2
- 6 letters
- figure2, assume2, fathom2
- 7 letters
- believe2, imagine3, realize3, realise3, discern2
- 8 letters
- perceive2, conceive2, construe2
- 9 letters
- recognize3, recognise3, translate2, interpret3, penetrate3, apprehend3, empathize3, empathise
- 10 letters
- comprehend3, sympathize3, sympathise
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (fancy2 = 2 syllables).
In other languages
- Français
- tilter