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My family doesn't understand trying to chase your dreams because they were all about survival.
Cristela Alonzo

Meaning of "understand" in the English dictionary

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DICTIONARY
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ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD UNDERSTAND

Old English understandan; related to Old Frisian understonda, Middle High German understān step under.
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Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.
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PRONUNCIATION OF UNDERSTAND

understand  [ˌʌndəˈstænd] play
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GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF UNDERSTAND

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Understand is a verb.
The verb is the part of the sentence that is conjugated and expresses action and state of being.

See the conjugation of the verb understand in English.

WHAT DOES UNDERSTAND MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Understanding

Understanding is a psychological process related to an abstract or physical object, such as a person, situation, or message whereby one is able to think about it and use concepts to deal adequately with that object. Understanding is a relation between the knower and an object of understanding. Understanding implies abilities and dispositions with respect to an object of knowledge sufficient to support intelligent behavior. An understanding is the limit of a conceptualization. To understand something is to have conceptualized it to a given measure.

Definition of understand in the English dictionary

The first definition of understand in the dictionary is to know and comprehend the nature or meaning of. Other definition of understand is to realize or grasp. Understand is also to assume, infer, or believe.

CONJUGATION OF THE VERB TO UNDERSTAND

PRESENT

Present
I understand
you understand
he/she/it understands
we understand
you understand
they understand
Present continuous
I am understanding
you are understanding
he/she/it is understanding
we are understanding
you are understanding
they are understanding
Present perfect
I have understood
you have understood
he/she/it has understood
we have understood
you have understood
they have understood
Present perfect continuous
I have been understanding
you have been understanding
he/she/it has been understanding
we have been understanding
you have been understanding
they have been understanding
Present tense is used to refer to circumstances that exist at the present time or over a period that includes the present time. The present perfect refers to past events, although it can be considered to denote primarily the resulting present situation rather than the events themselves.

PAST

Past
I understood
you understood
he/she/it understood
we understood
you understood
they understood
Past continuous
I was understanding
you were understanding
he/she/it was understanding
we were understanding
you were understanding
they were understanding
Past perfect
I had understood
you had understood
he/she/it had understood
we had understood
you had understood
they had understood
Past perfect continuous
I had been understanding
you had been understanding
he/she/it had been understanding
we had been understanding
you had been understanding
they had been understanding
Past tense forms express circumstances existing at some time in the past,

FUTURE

Future
I will understand
you will understand
he/she/it will understand
we will understand
you will understand
they will understand
Future continuous
I will be understanding
you will be understanding
he/she/it will be understanding
we will be understanding
you will be understanding
they will be understanding
Future perfect
I will have understood
you will have understood
he/she/it will have understood
we will have understood
you will have understood
they will have understood
Future perfect continuous
I will have been understanding
you will have been understanding
he/she/it will have been understanding
we will have been understanding
you will have been understanding
they will have been understanding
The future is used to express circumstances that will occur at a later time.

CONDITIONAL

Conditional
I would understand
you would understand
he/she/it would understand
we would understand
you would understand
they would understand
Conditional continuous
I would be understanding
you would be understanding
he/she/it would be understanding
we would be understanding
you would be understanding
they would be understanding
Conditional perfect
I would have understand
you would have understand
he/she/it would have understand
we would have understand
you would have understand
they would have understand
Conditional perfect continuous
I would have been understanding
you would have been understanding
he/she/it would have been understanding
we would have been understanding
you would have been understanding
they would have been understanding
Conditional or "future-in-the-past" tense refers to hypothetical or possible actions.

IMPERATIVE

Imperative
you understand
we let´s understand
you understand
The imperative is used to form commands or requests.
NONFINITE VERB FORMS
Infinitive
to understand
Past participle
understood
Present Participle
understanding
Infinitive shows the action beyond temporal perspective. The present participle or gerund shows the action during the session. The past participle shows the action after completion.

WORDS THAT RHYME WITH UNDERSTAND


bandstand
ˈbændˌstænd
bedstand
ˈbedˌstænd
bookstand
ˈbʊkstænd
grandstand
ˈɡrænˌstænd
handstand
ˈhændˌstænd
hardstand
ˈhɑːdˌstænd
hatstand
ˈhætˌstænd
headstand
ˈhɛdˌstænd
homestand
ˈhəʊmˌstænd
inkstand
ˈɪŋkˌstænd
kickstand
ˈkɪkˌstænd
lampstand
ˈlæmpˌstænd
misunderstand
ˌmɪsʌndəˈstænd
newsstand
ˈnjuːzˌstænd
outstand
ˌaʊtˈstænd
overstand
ˌəʊvəˈstænd
stand
stænd
upstand
ʌpˈstænd
washstand
ˈwɒʃˌstænd
withstand
wɪðˈstænd

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE UNDERSTAND

understaffed
understaffing
understandable
understandably
understander
understanding
understandingly
understate
understated
understatedly
understatement
understeer
understock
understood
understorey
understory
understrapper
understrapping
understrata
understratum

WORDS THAT END LIKE UNDERSTAND

cabstand
cake stand
caskstand
coatstand
concession stand
hall stand
hat stand
music stand
night stand
one-night stand
reviewing stand
ringstand
Rostand
taxi stand
umbrella stand

Synonyms and antonyms of understand in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

SYNONYMS OF «UNDERSTAND»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «understand» and belong to the same grammatical category.
synonyms of understand

Translation of «understand» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF UNDERSTAND

Find out the translation of understand to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of understand from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «understand» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

理解
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

comprender
570 millions of speakers

English

understand
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

समझने
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

يَفْهَمُ
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

понимать
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

entender
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

বোঝা
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

comprendre
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Faham
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

verstehen
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

理解する
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

이해하다
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Ngerti
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

hiểu
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

புரிந்து
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

समजून घ्या
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

anlama
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

comprendere
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

zrozumieć
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

розуміти
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

a înțelege
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

καταλαβαίνω
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

verstaan
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

förstå
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

forstå
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of understand

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «UNDERSTAND»

The term «understand» is very widely used and occupies the 2.001 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Very widely used
98
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «understand» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of understand
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «understand».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «UNDERSTAND» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «understand» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «understand» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about understand

EXAMPLES

10 QUOTES WITH «UNDERSTAND»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word understand.
1
Greg Akcelrod
I am very proud to be a part of the Livestrong Foundation. I am maybe only a member but I give everything I can to be sure that people understand that cancer is a disease for everybody - not only in France, in Europe, in Asia, it is all over the world. We must fight together, we must make something to fight the cancer, we must Livestrong.
2
Gloria Allred
Because of my life experiences, I understand that I have an opportunity to help other women. I have the desire and the ability.
3
Cristela Alonzo
My family doesn't understand trying to chase your dreams because they were all about survival.
4
Roger Ascham
He that will write well in any tongue, must follow this counsel of Aristotle, to speak as the common people do, to think as wise men do: and so should every man understand him, and the judgment of wise men allow him.
5
David A. Bednar
As we become more spiritually mature and increasingly steadfast and immovable, we focus upon and strive to understand the fundamental and foundational doctrines of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.
6
John Berger
A peasant becomes fond of his pig and is glad to salt away its pork. What is significant, and is so difficult for the urban stranger to understand, is that the two statements are connected by an and not by a but.
7
Don Bluth
When business executives are making the artistic decisions and don't understand animation, things can go awry.
8
Ian Botham
The people in the villages had turned in on themselves. You can understand it. When you have a bad day on the field, what do you do? Talk to your teammates.
9
Lakhdar Brahimi
The events of September 11 and what has happened since have made people understand that even a small, distant and far away country like Afghanistan cannot be left to break up into anarchy and chaos without consequences for the whole world.
10
Sergei Bubka
People come from around the world and can understand each other without even speaking the same languages!

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «UNDERSTAND»

Discover the use of understand in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to understand and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
Understand Rap: Explanations of Confusing Rap Lyrics You and ...
Enter Understand Rap, a very funny pop-cultural reference book based on the website of the same name, which precisely explains the confusing lyrics and terms used in rap songs using language that even the most un-hip person can understand.
William Buckholz, 2011
2
You Just Don't Understand
This is the book that brought gender differences in ways of speaking to the forefront of public awareness.
Deborah Tannen, 2013
3
You Can Understand the Book of Revelation: Exploring Its ...
With a smart, good-natured style and an investigative flair, Skip provides clear explanations and captivating explorations to help readers discover: the truth behind the misconceptions the meaning of the symbols and signs why messages of ...
Skip Heitzig, 2011
4
Understand and Care
Empathy is key to positive, healthy relationships. This book builds empathy in children. In clear, child-friendly words and illustrations, it helps them to understand that other people have feelings like theirs—and different from theirs.
Cheri J. Meiners, 2003
5
Know and Understand Centrifugal Pumps
This book tackles all these aspects in a readable manner, drawing on the authors' long experience of lecturing and writing on centrifugal pumps for industrial audiences.
L. Bachus, A Custodio, 2003
6
Aristotle: The Desire to Understand
This is a philosophical introduction to Aristotle, and Professor Lear starts where Aristotle himself started.
Jonathan Lear, 1988
7
How to Understand Business Finance
How to Understand Business Finance is not written by an accountant and actually relates to running a business in a real market.
Robert Cinnamon, 2010
8
How to Understand Your Bible
Norton Sterrett presents the general rules for reading the Bible's ordinary language and moves on to specific principles that apply to special types of language such as parables, figures of speech, Hebrew poetry and symbols.
T. Norton Sterrett, Richard L. Schultz, 2010
9
Communicating Nature: How We Create and Understand ...
The book offers a fresh and engaging introductory look at a topic of broad interest, and is an important work for students of the environment, activists and environmental professionals interested in understanding the cultural context of ...
Julia B. Corbett, 2006
10
Let the Reader Understand: Reader-Response Criticism and the ...
Robert Fowler's groundbreaking method—reader-response criticism—as a strategy for reading the Gospel of Mark invites contemporary readers to participating in making the meaning of the Gospel. Now available in paperback.
Robert M. Fowler, 2001

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «UNDERSTAND»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term understand is used in the context of the following news items.
1
Understanding vs. Accepting
The other party says to me: "You do not agree because you don't understand," assuming that if I could understand, I would agree with him or her. Or to say it ... «Huffington Post, Jul 15»
2
Want to Build a Killer Team? Everyone Needs to Understand the …
Her new trade show manager quickly came to understand that their job was not to set up booths. We hired union laborers to do that. A trade show was where our ... «Pulse, Jul 15»
3
10 Things Women Deal With That Men Will Never Understand
It is so far removed from men's experiences that they can't even understand what it might be like. 2. What a gyno appointment is even like. Men's physicals don't ... «Cosmopolitan.com, Jun 15»
4
What Babies Understand About Adult Sadness
Babies tend to wear their hearts on their tiny little sleeves. They cry because you took away that thing they picked up off the floor and then put in their mouths. «NPR, Jun 15»
5
A Bank CEO Said Elizabeth Warren Doesn't Understand Wall Street …
Speaking on the Huffington Post's “So, That Happened” podcast, she said, “The problem is not that I don't understand the global banking system. The problem ... «ThinkProgress, Jun 15»
6
Women are not capable of understanding 'GoodFellas'
"GoodFellas" is the ultimate male fantasy film, according to movie critic Kyle Smith. Photo: Courtesy Everett Collection. The first time I saw “GoodFellas,” on a ... «New York Post, Jun 15»
7
If I understand the history correctly…
If I understand the history correctly, in the late 1990s, the President was impeached for lying about a sexual affair by a House of Representatives led by a man ... «Washington Post, May 15»
8
Most people don't understand just how little we know about the …
As central as the brain is to our existence, we understand very little about how it actually works, according to Dr. Thomas Insel, the Director of the National ... «Business Insider, May 15»
9
Why we struggle to understand each other at work
How to help co-workers understand you... and how you cantake steps to truly ... The bottom line is this: We kind of stink at understanding each other, and that ... «Chicago Tribune, May 15»
10
How to Understand Italy
MILAN — Expo 2015 opened its doors here this month, and with 145 countries exhibiting and 11 million tickets sold, there are quite a few surprised faces. «New York Times, May 15»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Understand [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/understand>. May 2024 ».
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