misunderstand
verb /ˌmɪsʌndəˈstænd/
/ˌmɪsʌndərˈstænd/
[transitive, intransitive]Word Family
- understand verb (≠ misunderstand)
- understandable adjective
- misunderstood adjective
- understanding adjective noun (≠ misunderstanding)
Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they misunderstand | /ˌmɪsʌndəˈstænd/ /ˌmɪsʌndərˈstænd/ |
| he / she / it misunderstands | /ˌmɪsʌndəˈstændz/ /ˌmɪsʌndərˈstændz/ |
| past simple misunderstood | /ˌmɪsʌndəˈstʊd/ /ˌmɪsʌndərˈstʊd/ |
| past participle misunderstood | /ˌmɪsʌndəˈstʊd/ /ˌmɪsʌndərˈstʊd/ |
| -ing form misunderstanding | /ˌmɪsʌndəˈstændɪŋ/ /ˌmɪsʌndərˈstændɪŋ/ |
- to fail to understand somebody/something correctly
- misunderstand (somebody/something) I completely misunderstood her intentions.
- Don't misunderstand me—I am grateful for all you've done.
- I thought he was her husband—I must have misunderstood.
- misunderstand what, how, etc… She must have misunderstood what I was trying to say.
- misunderstand something as something His concern for their safety was misunderstood as interference.
Extra Examples- a charming and much misunderstood man
- Always give clear instructions so that they won't be misunderstood.
- Many mental illnesses are widely misunderstood.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- badly
- completely
- fundamentally
- …
- as
- be frequently misunderstood
- be often misunderstood
- be widely misunderstood
- …