verb · neutral
understand
UK/ˌʌndəˈstænd/US/ˌʌndərˈstænd/un·der·STAND
Band 6-7speakingtask2
to grasp the meaning, nature, or importance of something
Examples
“I didn't understand the professor's point until she gave a concrete example.”
“Do you understand how the two graphs relate to each other?”
“I quickly understood that the interviewers wanted concise answers.”
Band 8 sentence
“I understand that economic decisions are shaped not just by numbers but by people's attitudes and values.”
Collocations
- understand the concept
- fail to understand
- be understood by
Word family
understand baseunderstood past simple / past participleunderstanding noun / present participle
Common mistakes
understanded→understood
I understand the lecture yesterday.→I understood the lecture yesterday.
Say it for a higher band
5know→6get→7+understand
Synonyms
comprehend
grasp
Easily confused
know
“I know the city well but I don't understand its culture.”
Related words
Learn this word with the rest of its set, and get reminded at the right time.
In Irregular forms
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