Understand

Definition: Understand

Understand

Verb

1. Know and comprehend the nature or meaning of; "She did not understand her husband"; "I understand what she means".

2. Perceive mentally, as of an idea; "Now I see!"; "I just can't see your point"; "Does she realize how important this decision is?"; "I don't understand the idea".

3. Make sense of a language; "She understands French"; "Can you read Greek?".

4. Believe to be the case; "I understand you have no previous experience?".

5. Be understanding of; "You don't need to explain--I understand!".

Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
 

Date "understand" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1010. (references)

Multilingual Slang

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Synonyms: Understand

Concord

Verb: agree; accord, harmonize with; fraternize; be -concordant; Adjective: go hand in hand; run parallel; (concur); understand one another, pull together; (cooperate); put up one's horses together, sing in chorus.

Cooperation

Conduce; combine, unite one;s efforts; keep together, draw together, pull together, club together, hand together, hold together, league together, band together, be banded together; pool; stand shoulder to shoulder, put shoulder to shoulder; act in concert, join forces, fraternize, cling to one another, conspire, concert, lay one;s heads together; confederate, be in league with; collude, understand one another, play into the hands of, hunt in couples.

Imagination

Understand by; (interpret).

Information

Let one know, have one to know; give one to understand; give notice; set before, lay before, put before; point out, put into one's head; put one in possession of; instruct; (teach); direct the attention to.

Be informed of; know; learn; get scent of, get wind of, gather from; awaken to, open one's eyes to; become alive, become awake to; hear, overhear, understand.

Intelligence Wisdom

Verb: be -intelligent; Adjective: have all one's wits about one; understand; (intelligible); catch an idea, take in an idea; take a joke, take a hint.

Intelligibility

Understand, comprehend, take, take in; catch, grasp, follow, collect, master, make out; see with half an eye, see daylight, see one's way; enter into the ideas of; come to an understanding.

Easily understood, easy to understand, for the million, intelligible to the meanest capacity, popularized.

Interpretation

Take in a particular sense, understand in a particular sense, receive in a particular sense, accept in a particular sense; understand by, put a construction on, be given to understand.

Knowledge

Conceive; apprehend, comprehend; take, realize, understand, savvy, appreciate; fathom, make out; recognize, discern, perceive, see, get a sight-of, experience.

Latency Implication

Involve, imply, understand, allude to, infer, leave an inference; entail; whisper; (conceal).

Unintelligibility

Not understand one another; play at cross purposes; (misinterpret).

Not understand; lose, lose the clue; miss; not know what to make of, be able to make nothing of, give it up; not be able to account for, not be able to make either head or tail of; be at sea; (uncertain); wonder; see through a glass darkly; (ignorance).

Crosswords: Understand

Pidgin English (to understand).

Commander, from what I understand, if this thing goes to court, they won't need a lawyer, they'll need a priest (A Few Good Men; writing credit: Aaron Sorkin. Based on the play by Aaron Sorkin.)

So I understand you wish to marry my wife (Sleuth; writing credit: Anthony Shaffer)

I wonder if you understand that all of us-- Dolores, me, the children who survived, the children who didn't-- that we're all citizens of a different town now. A place with its own special rules and its own special laws (The Sweet Hereafter; writing credit: Atom Egoyan)

I understand you're very upset (Mission: Impossible; writing credit: Bruce Geller; David Koepp)

You're the one person with enough kindness and wisdom to understand this, but Fred, you're the one person I can never tell (Brief Encounter; writing credit: David Lean, written by Noel Coward, Anthony Havelock-Allan, David Lean, and Ronald Neame.)

I finally understand for a woman (Dear Mama; performing artist: 2Pac)

Make you understand (Because Of You; performing artist: 98 Degrees; writing credit: Anders Bagge, Arntor Birgisson, Christian Karlsson, and Patrick Tucker)

Wanna show the world don't you understand. (One In A Million; performing artist: Aaliyah)

And I understand that as I do you (Unsent; performing artist: Alanis Morissette)

Who will understand (I Can Love You Like That; performing artist: All-4-One)

A child of five would understand this. Send someone to fetch a child of five. (references; author: Groucho Marx)

It ain't those parts of the Bible that I can't understand that bother me, it is the parts that I do understand. (references; author: Mark Twain)

7 5th of all people do not understand fractions. (references; author: unknown)

If you understand something today, it must be obsolete. (references; author: unknown)

The heart has reasons which reason does not understand. (references; author: unknown)

I Understand (Just How You Feel) (performing artist: The G-Clefs)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Books

• If You're So Brilliant...How Come You Don't Understand Your Accountant? The Essential Guide to Financial Management (reference)

• The Motley Fool Tax Guide 2002: Money-Saving Tax Tips You Can Actually Understand (reference)

• Microsoft's Windows 95: Explanations You Can Understand and Use, Tips That Save You Time and Aggravation, Expert Help in Plain English (In Plain engl (reference)

• Alienated: A Quest to Understand Contact (reference)

• SAP(R) Process, Analyze and Understand SAP(R) Processes with Knowledge Maps (reference)

  (more book examples)

Theater & Movies

• After the Tears, A Gentle Guide to Help Children Understand Death (Grief) (reference)

• I Don't Understand (reference)

• Terrorism and Fear: Helping Students Understand (reference)

  (more DVD examples; more video examples)

Music

• Get the Knack / But the Little Girls Understand (reference)

• Losers, Kings, and Things We Don't Understand (reference)

• Understand This Is a Dream (reference)

  (more classical music examples; more popular music examples)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Pictured are various slides of woodchucks. These animals carry a Hepatitis B-like virus in their blood and are being studied to understand the link of virus to liver cancer. Post-mortem examination indicates that about 25% of the woodchucks die of liver cancer and have the virus in their blood samples. Credit: Linda Bartlett (photographer).

Scientist is performing an amino acid analysis which is used to look at the detail of cellular molecules. Knowing the genetic code and the way it relates to proteins made by the body are tools to understand cancer cells. Credit: Linda Bartlett (photographer).

Diagram of possible sound wave paths in water Wave-path O-C-E came close to describing refractive path of sound in SOFAR layer Sound path model developed in 1930's for radio acoustic ranging work Didn't yet understand the channeling effect of the velocity minimum Furthest RAR use was out to 206 miles offshore in 1925. Credit: Coast & Geodetic Survey Historical Image Collection.

Figure 73. Thoulet device for measuring the virtual density of large samples. Julien Thoulet described this method in 1905 for determining the apparent density of pumice stones, in order to better understand the origin of these rocks which were found in abundance in bottom samples obtained by the PRINCESSE ALICE. Credit: Sailing for Science - the NOAA Fleet Then and Now.

Can You Understand The Small Print?. Credit: National Library of Medicine.

I want you to understand, sir, that my pride forbids me to accept anything from you after I marry your daughter ... Credit: Library of Congress.

Bernard Shaw--"say, Einie, do you really think you understand yourself?" Dr. Einstein--"no, Bernie--do you?" / O. Herford. Credit: Library of Congress.

My Congress doesn't understand me. Credit: Library of Congress.

That's the way to get to understand all our neighbors on the south -- do it with engineers and ... Credit: Library of Congress.

Tarzan. "Forgive me my ill temper, my friends," Tarzan said, "but I am worried about something you would not understand". Credit: Library of Congress.

Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Till then we see the law allows the son to have no will, but he is to be guided by the will of his father or guardian, who is to understand for him. (Second Treatise of Government)

For how can people, when once they understand their system, fail to see in it the best possible plan of the best possible state of society? Hence, they reject all political, and especially all revolutionary, action; they wish to attain their ends by peaceful means, and endeavour, by small experiments, necessarily doomed to failure, and by the force of example, to pave the way for the new social Gospel. (reference)

We understand the Russian need to be secure on her western frontiers by the removal of all possibility of German aggression. ("Iron Curtain" Speech)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

I would have her understand me.

Lightly and swiftly they skimmed over the ground, and I could not in the least understand how it was I kept up with them so easily

It would be sad injustice, the reader must understand, to represent all my excellent old friends as in their dotage

It is necessary to understand them, were it only to avoid them

They could understand how to jump

Write to me very shortly, And you shall understand from me her mind

If you who own the things people must have could understand this, you might preserve yourself

However, he made other signs to let me understand that I should have meat and drink enough, and very good treatment

If they cannot understand that, they cannot understand much that I have to say.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Health

It is very important to understand your choices. (references)

It must be noninvasive and easy to use and understand. (references)

Ask the meaning of any medical term you don't understand. (references)

Business

They used to understand security as an expense. (references)

They also understand business practices of the local market. (references)

Hence, it is important that businesses understand the marketing trends and competition. (references)

Children

Russia

Ombudsmen may only write a letter requesting an inquiry by law enforcement authorities, assist those whose rights have been violated to understand their legal rights, and make suggestions to legislators (local, regional, and federal) on ways to improve legislation. (references)

Civil Liberties

China

The authorities appear to understand that the country needs the economic benefits the Internet brings, but fear the political ramifications of the free flow of information. (references)

Iran

Since the authorities understand what is being said in Persian, they may exercise greater control over what is being taught than they would be able to if the instruction were in a non-Persian language. (references)

Economic History

Bulgaria

However, new private companies understand the importance of customer support and follow through on promises. (references)

Moldova

The Moldovan authorities understand that foreign investment is essential for efficiency and competitiveness. (references)

India

In hindsight, analysts now understand that due attention must be paid to power distribution as well as generation. (references)

Human Rights

Greece

Also defendants often are not advised of their rights during arrest in a language that they can understand. (references)

Japan

In 2000 the Supreme Court introduced a training system to help court interpreters understand complicated trial procedures. (references)

Greece

Foreign defendants who depend on these interpreters frequently complained that they do not understand the proceedings of their trials. (references)

Political Economy

Ecuador

Many Ecuadorians who have suffered from the cuts in internal spending still fail to understand why the country cannot afford to continue massive subsidies and increase salaries in the current climate. (references)

Moldova

Despite all of that, local governments appear to understand the key role they play in sustaining small business development in their territories and often find ways to actually exercise that role with whatever small means available. (references)

Trade

India

U.S. companies understand and accept the need for such test marketing to be allowed on a restricted, time-bound basis. (references)

Travel

Vietnam

This will help the Vietnamese side understand how to relate to you. (references)

Korea

For historical reasons, Chinese characters, which Koreans can generally understand, are regarded as more sophisticated. (references)

Vietnam

Even with the increasing use of English, non-native English speakers will need interpretation to understand the subtleties of the conversation. (references)

Worker Rights

Brazil

To improve the investigative ability of the Federal Police, some officers are beginning to receive training to recognize forced labor and understand the laws concerning trafficking. (references)

Russia

Employees tend to win their cases if brought to court but many remained reluctant to do so. Most workers do not understand or have faith in the legal structure and fear possible retaliation. (references)

Brazil

Police officials believe that most women who are recruited by trafficking organizations understand that they are to work as prostitutes, but they are lied to about working conditions and their prospective earnings. (references)

Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Hastening to understand

Expressions using "understand": be given to understand ♦ do you understand english? ♦ do you understand me? ♦ easily understand ♦ easy to understand ♦ get smb. to understand ♦ get to understand ♦ give smb. to understand ♦ give to understand ♦ i do not understand ♦ i don't understand russian ♦ i quite understand ♦ it is easy to understand ♦ let us clearly understand each other! ♦ make understand ♦ no one understand ♦ nobody understand ♦ not to understand ♦ not understand one another ♦ slow to understand ♦ so i understand ♦ To give one to understand ♦ understand by ♦ understand each other ♦ understand from ♦ understand one another ♦ understand perfectly ♦ understand reality ♦ understand slowly ♦ understand tacitly ♦ you are not expected to understand this ♦ you understand. Additional references.

Ending with "understand": easy-to-understand.

Containing "understand": wife-doesn't-understand-me.

Afrikaans

verstaan (realise, realize), besef (awareness, be aware of, be conscious of, consciousness, notion, realise, realization, realize, sense). (various references)

Albanian

kuptoj (apprehend, catch, comprehend, cotton on, fathom, figure out, find, gather, get, grasp, make out, penetrate, perceive, pick out, Pierce, see, see through, sense, take, take in, twig on). (various references)

Arabic 

‏فهم (accept, apprehend, apprehension, brain, catch, comprehend, comprehension, conceive, conception, discern, discernment, grasp, hear, hear of, intelligence, know, know of, learn, learn about, make out, penetrate, perceive, perception, pick out, pierce, put across, puzzle out, realization, realize, see, see daylight, see the light, seeing, sense, skulk, sort out, take in, twig, understanding, understood), ‏عطف على (have mercy), ‏إستنتج (conclude, deduce, deduct, derive, draw, draw conclusions, educe, estimate, induce, infer, put two and two together, ratiocinate), ‏أدرك (apprehend, awake, comprehend, feel, follow, get at, observe, overhaul, overtake, penetrate, perceive, pierce, realize, recognize, rejoin, see, see daylight, sense, sober up, take, twig). (various references)

Aymara

amuyaña (to understand). (various references)

Basque

ulertzen (understanding). (various references)

Breton

kompren (to understand). (various references)

Bulgarian 

схващам (apprehend, compass, comprehend, dig, discover, get, get a hold of, grasp, note, perceive, pick up, see, sense, take in, twig), разбирам (apprehend, catch on, comprehend, cotton, discover, fathom, figure out, find out, follow, grasp, grip, have, latch, make out, penetrate, perceive, pick up, realize, riddle, rumble, see, see through, sense, take, take in, think, work out), чувам (hear, lend an ear, pick up), научавам (acquire, hear, learn, pick up, read up, teach), подразбирам (get the idea, infer, intend, mean). (various references)

Catalan

l'entenc, entendre (realize), comprendre (realize). (various references)

Chinese 

了解 (come to understand, find out). (various references)

Croatian

razumijem. (various references)

Czech

chápat (appreciate, apprehend, comprehend, construe, follow, get it, grasp, perceive, see, take, take in). (various references)

Danish

forstå (realise, realize). (various references)

Dutch

verstaan (hear, realize), bevatten (comprise, contain, include, realise, realize), beseffen (be aware of, be conscious of, realise, realize). (various references)

Esperanto

kompreni (realise, realize), komprenas. (various references)

Faeroese

skilja (distinguish, realize), fata (realize). (various references)

Farsi 

فهمیدن (Catch, Compass, Comprehend, Follow, Get, Grasp, Gripe, Induct, Intend, Learn, Realize, Savor, Savvy, See, Skill, Tell), ملتفت شدن (Notice), رساندن (Broadcast, Convey, Extend, Forward, Give, Impart, Imply, Putin, Supply, Transmit), دریافتن (Apprehend, Comprehend, Deduce, Discover, Perceive, Realize), درک کردن (Appreciate, Apprehend, Catch, Cognize, Compass, Comprehend, Coneive, Follow, Hear, Induct, Perceive, Realize, Savvy, Seize). (various references)

Finnish

ymmärtää (comprehend, grasp, realize, see). (various references)

Flemish

begrijp. (various references)

French

comprendre (to understand, understanding), comprends. (various references)

French Canadian

comprends. (various references)

Frisian

ferstean (realize), begripe (realize). (various references)

Galician

entendo, enténdoo. (various references)

German

verstehen (apprehend, catch, fathom, follow, got it, hear, interpret, know, make out, perceive, read, realize, see, take, to apprehend, to understand, understanding, understood), begreifen (appreciate, comprehend, conceive, fathom, grasp, grip, realize, take in, to conceive, to realize, understood, view), erfassen (apprehend, capture, catch, comprehend, cover, gather, grasp, include, realize, record, register, seize, take in, to acquire, to apprehend, to capture, to gather, to realize, to record). (various references)

Greek 

κατανοώ (appreciate, come to terms with, comprehend, make head or tail of, take stock), καταλαβαίνω (come to terms with, make of, realise, savvy, see). (various references)

Haitian Creole

konprann (to understand). (various references)

Hebrew 

להתפקח (become clever), להכיר (ascertain, find out, know, make out, realize, recognize, spot, tell), להבין (apprehend, comprehend, follow, gather, grasp, know, make out, realize, see, see daylight, see the light, take, take in), לדעת (comprehend, grasp, know, knowhow, perceive), הבין. (various references)

Hungarian

megért (apprehend, comprehend, got, perceive, realize, see, see the light, take in smth., to apprehend, to catch up, to comprehend, to conceit, to conceive of, to get, to get the message, to get the picture, to grasp, to perceive, to realize, to savvy, to tumble to, vert). (various references)

Icelandic

skilja (get a divorce, get divorced, realize), skil. (various references)

Indonesian

ngarti (comprehend), mengerti (explanation), menduga (assume, consectue, fathom, presume, take depth bearings), memahami (apprehend, comprehend), maklum (know, well-known), faham (comprehend). (various references)

Inuktitut

tukisivaa (to understand). (various references)

Irish

dtuigeann. (various references)

Italian

comprendere (apprehend, be understood, comprehend, comprise, contain, cover, grasp, include, incorporate, penetrate, realize, take, to understand), capire (apprehend, bottom, catch, comprehend, get, make out, penetrate, perceive, pin down, push, read, realise, realize, see, see through, take in, to understand, twig). (various references)

Japanese Kanji 

拝承 (be informed, hear, learn), 呑み込み . (various references)

Japanese Katakana 

のみこみ (apprehension, understanding), はいしょう (be informed, defeated general, hear, learn). (various references)

Korean 

이해하십시요 (Comprehend). (various references)

Luganda

sitegedde (I didn't understand), nkutegeera (I understand you). (various references)

Luxembourgish

verstin, versti. (various references)

Malagasy

azonao (understoodby you; you understand), azoko (understoodby me; I understand). (various references)

Malay

mengerti (realize). (various references)

Manx

toiggal (apprehension, comprehend, construction, construe, figure; comprehension, realization, realize). (various references)

Maori

maatau-ria (ki) (to understand). (various references)

Maya

na'at (to understand). (various references)

Norwegian

forstår, forstå (figure out, gather, get, grasp, realise, realize). (various references)

Papiamen

komprondé (realize), komprendé (realize), kèch (captivate, capture, catch, grapple, realize). (various references)

Pidgin English

understand (to understand), hear (heard, to understand). (various references)

Pig Latin

erstandunday.(various references)

Polish

rozumieć (realize). (various references)

Portuguese

ser informado, perceber (apprehend, cognize, perceive, realize, see, twig), julgar (accept, account, accredit, adjudge, adjudicate, allow, arbitrate, award, believe, conceive, count, decide, deem, fancy, find, guess, hold, imagine, judge, measure, opine, repute, suppose, think, try), ficar a saber, entender (know, perceive, read, realize, savvy, sense, spell out, to understand), conhecer (cognize, experience, have at one's fingertips, ken, know, know how, to know), conceber (accept, become pregnant, conceive, couch, father, form, frame, ideate, think), compreender (bottom, catch, catch on, compass, comprehend, comprise, conceive, consist, embrace, get, grasp, grip, have, imply, know, make out, perceive, plumb, read, realize, see, sense, sympathize, take in, to understand, twig), compreenda (comprise), alcançar (accomplish, achieve, acquire, arrive, attain, catch up, come, compass, comprehend, earn, fetch, gain, get, get around, go, obtain, overtake, reach, reach for, run down, touch). (various references)

Portuguese Brazilian

entende. (various references)

Quechua

intindiykichu (I understand you), intindiyki (I understand you), intindinichu (I understand), intindini (I understand), intindinaypaq (so that I will understand). (various references)

Romanian

înţelege (agree, apprehend, bottom, catch, come it, compass, comprehend, conceive, fathom, follow, grasp, interpret, latch on, make of, perceive, read, realize, savvy, scheme, see, see into, seize, take, tumble to, twig). (various references)

Romansch

chapir (to understand). (various references)

Romany

ahàyava (to understand). (various references)

Russian 

понимать (apprehend, aprehend, catch on, comprehend, figure out, gain an insight into, get, get to know, perceive, realize, savvies, sense, take, twig, understood), понять (awake, make out, realize, seize). (various references)