comprehend

verb

/ˌkɒmprɪˈhend/

/ˌkɑːmprɪˈhend/

(formal) [intransitive, transitive] often used in negative sentences

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they comprehend	/ˌkɒmprɪˈhend/ /ˌkɑːmprɪˈhend/
he / she / it comprehends	/ˌkɒmprɪˈhendz/ /ˌkɑːmprɪˈhendz/
past simple comprehended	/ˌkɒmprɪˈhendɪd/ /ˌkɑːmprɪˈhendɪd/
past participle comprehended	/ˌkɒmprɪˈhendɪd/ /ˌkɑːmprɪˈhendɪd/
-ing form comprehending	/ˌkɒmprɪˈhendɪŋ/ /ˌkɑːmprɪˈhendɪŋ/

jump to other results

to understand something fully
- He stood staring at the dead body, unable to comprehend.
- comprehend something The infinite distances of space are too great for the human mind to comprehend.
- comprehend how/why, etc… She could not comprehend how someone would risk people's lives in that way.
- comprehend that… He simply could not comprehend that she could be guilty.
Synonyms understand
understand
- see
- get
- follow
- grasp
- comprehend
These words all mean to know or realize something, for example why something happens, how something works or what something means.
- understand to know or realize the meaning of words, a language, what somebody says, etc; to know or realize how or why something happens, how it works or why it is important:
  I don’t understand the instructions.
  Doctors still don’t understand much about the disease.
- see to understand what is happening, what somebody is saying, how something works or how important something is:
  ‘It opens like this.’ ‘Oh, I see.’
  Oh yes, I see what you mean.
- get (informal) to understand a joke, what somebody is trying to tell you, or a situation that they are trying to describe:
  She didn’t get the joke.
  I don’t get you.
- follow to understand an explanation, a story or the meaning of something:
  Sorry—I don’t quite follow.
  The plot is almost impossible to follow.
- grasp to come to understand a fact, an idea or how to do something:
  They failed to grasp the importance of his words.
understand or grasp?You can use understand or grasp for the action of realizing the meaning or importance of something for the first time: It’s a difficult concept for children to understand/grasp. Only understand can be used to talk about languages, words or writing: I don’t grasp French/the instructions.
- comprehend (often used in negative statements) (formal) to understand a fact, idea or reason:
  The concept of infinity is almost impossible for the human mind to comprehend.
Patterns
- to understand/see/get/follow/grasp/comprehend what/why/how…
- to understand/see/grasp/comprehend that…
- to understand/see/get/grasp the point/idea (of something)
- to be easy/difficult/hard to understand/see/follow/grasp/comprehend
- to fully understand/see/grasp/comprehend something
Extra Examples
- She could barely comprehend what was happening to her.
- She failed to comprehend the seriousness of the situation.
- She could not comprehend how anyone could endanger human life in that way.
- The concept of infinity is almost impossible for the human mind to comprehend.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adverb
- fully
- barely
- easily
- …
verb + comprehend
- be able to
- be unable to
- cannot
- …
See full entry
Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French comprehender, or Latin comprehendere, from com- ‘together’ + prehendere ‘grasp’.