| English Dictionary |
MISUNDERSTAND (misunderstood)
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
| IPA (US): |  |
Dictionary entry overview: What does misunderstand mean?
• MISUNDERSTAND (verb)
The verb MISUNDERSTAND has 1 sense:
1. interpret in the wrong way
Familiarity information: MISUNDERSTAND used as a verb is very rare.
Dictionary entry details
| Conjugation: |
... he / she / it misunderstands Past simple: misunderstood
Past participle: misunderstood
-ing form: misunderstanding
Sense 1
Meaning:
Interpret in the wrong way
Classified under:
Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting
Synonyms:
be amiss; misapprehend; misconceive; misconstrue; misinterpret; misunderstand
Context example:
She misconstrued my remarks
Hypernyms (to "misunderstand" is one way to...):
construe; interpret; see (make sense of; assign a meaning to)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s something
Sentence examples:
They won't misunderstand the story
Sam and Sue misunderstand the movie
Derivation:
misunderstanding (an understanding of something that is not correct)
misunderstanding (putting the wrong interpretation on)
Context examples
I am quite uneasy about your dear brother, not having heard from him since he went to Oxford; and am fearful of some misunderstanding.
(Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen)
What was great and strong in him, she missed, or, worse yet, misunderstood.
(Martin Eden, by Jack London)
Major Murphy, to whom I owe most of my facts, assures me that he has never heard of any misunderstanding between the pair.
(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
“And yours,” he replied with a smile, “is willfully to misunderstand them.”
(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)
It was misunderstood for fear, and such misunderstandings made for death.
(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)
Mr. Rivers! you quite put me out of patience: I am rational enough; it is you who misunderstand, or rather who affect to misunderstand.
(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)
And by this I do not wish to be misunderstood.
(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)
I certainly have been misunderstanding you, if you feel in doubt as to the purport of your answer.
(Emma, by Jane Austen)
Sharks, marine scientists say, are often misunderstood, described as ravenous man-eaters.
(Sharks, the seagrass protectors, National Science Foundation)
This will increase the possibility that you will misunderstand your partner, so you will have to make sure to give and receive clear communications.
(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)
| Learn English with... Proverbs |
"With all things and in all things, we are relatives." (Native American proverb, Sioux)
"Maybe he wanted to throw himself in the well, would you follow?" (Armenian proverb)
"If you own two houses, it's raining in one of them." (Corsican proverb)