comprehend

verb com·pre·hend \ˌkäm-pri-ˈhend, -prē-\

: to understand (something, such as a difficult or complex subject)

Full Definition of COMPREHEND

transitive verb

: to grasp the nature, significance, or meaning of <unable to comprehend what has happened>

: to contain or hold within a total scope, significance, or amount <philosophy's scope comprehends the truth of everything which man may understand — H. O. Taylor>

: to include by construction or implication <does not prudence comprehend all the virtues? — Thomas B. Silver>

— com·pre·hend·ible \-ˈhen-də-bəl\ adjective

See comprehend defined for English-language learners

See comprehend defined for kids

Origin of COMPREHEND

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

First Known Use: 14th century

Related to COMPREHEND

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, pick up on

Antonyms: miss

Synonym Discussion of 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>.