comprehend

verb

com·​pre·​hend ˌkäm-pri-ˈhend 

-prē-

comprehended; comprehending; comprehends

transitive verb

1

: to grasp the nature, significance, or meaning of

unable to comprehend what has happened

2

: to contain or hold within a total scope, significance, or amount

… philosophy's scope comprehends the truth of everything which man may understand …

—Henry Osborn Taylor

3

: to include by construction or implication

Does not prudence comprehend all the virtues?

—Thomas B. Silver

Our civilization comprehends great variety and complexity …

—Perry Meisel

comprehendible

ˌkäm-pri-ˈhen-də-bəl 

-prē-

adjective

Did you know?

To comprehend is to mentally grasp something's complete nature or meaning. Comprehend is thus often a bit stronger than understand: for example, you may understand the instructions in a handbook without completely comprehending their purpose. Comprehend's second meaning is much less common. Using that sense of the word, we could say that good manners comprehends (that is, includes) more than simple table etiquette, for example, or that true courage comprehends more than just physical showing off. And something comprehensive includes a great deal: so a comprehensive exam, for instance, includes all the material that was studied in the course.

Synonyms

• appreciate
• apprehend
• assimilate
• behold
• catch
• catch on (to)
• cognize
• compass
• conceive
• cotton (to or on to)
• decipher
• decode
• dig
• discern
• get
• grasp
• grok
• intuit
• know
• make
• make out
• perceive
• recognize
• register
• savvy
• see
• seize
• sense
• tumble (to)
• twig
• understand

Choose the Right Synonym for comprehend

understand, comprehend, appreciate mean to have a clear or complete idea of.

understand and comprehend are very often interchangeable.

understand may, however, stress the fact of having attained a firm mental grasp of something.

orders that were fully understood and promptly obeyed

comprehend may stress the process of coming to grips with something intellectually.

I have trouble comprehending your reasons for doing this

appreciate implies a just evaluation or judgment of a thing's value or nature.

failed to appreciate the risks involved

include, comprehend, embrace, involve mean to contain within as part of the whole.

include suggests the containment of something as a constituent, component, or subordinate part of a larger whole.

the price of dinner includes dessert

comprehend implies that something comes within the scope of a statement or definition.

his system comprehends all history

embrace implies a gathering of separate items within a whole.

her faith embraces both Christian and non-Christian beliefs

involve suggests inclusion by virtue of the nature of the whole, whether by being its natural or inevitable consequence.

the new job involves a lot of detail

Examples of comprehend in a Sentence

the age at which children can comprehend the difference between right and wrong

it took me a while to comprehend algebra

Recent Examples on the Web

But the two defendants were able to depend on something that the prosecutors did not fully comprehend: the ability of Willy and Sal to manipulate a sense of loyalty within South Florida’s Cuban exile community. —T.j. English, People.com, 30 Nov. 2024

Oceans of Waste The scale of humanity's plastic use and plastic waste is hard to comprehend. —Jeff Young, Newsweek, 27 Nov. 2024

Their program, which ran twice a week on Youtube, Facebook, and Instagram, covered topics as varied as a fall pumpkin giveaway and a vigil for a labor massacre—all in the same distant, matter-of-fact tone of beings incapable of comprehending human emotions. —Guthrie Scrimgeour, WIRED, 21 Nov. 2024

The damage that Hurricane Helene wrought on Western North Carolina’s mountain towns this fall has been hard to comprehend. —Jenn Rice, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French comprendre, comprehendre, from Latin comprehendere, from com- + prehendere to grasp — more at get

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

comprehend

verb

com·​pre·​hend ˌkäm-pri-ˈhend 

1

: to grasp the meaning of : understand

2

: include

comprehendible

-ˈhen-də-bəl 

adjective

comprehensibility

-ˌhen(t)-sə-ˈbil-ət-ē

noun

comprehensible

-ˈhen(t)-sə-bəl

adjective

comprehensibly

-ˈhen(t)-sə-blē

adverb