comprehension
noun
com·pre·hen·sion
ˌkäm-pri-ˈhen(t)-shən 
-prē-
1
a
: the act or action of grasping with the intellect : understanding
children who have difficulty with comprehension of spoken language
What the artist actually needs is comprehension of his aims and ideals by men he respects …—
H. L. Mencken
H. L. Mencken
b
: knowledge gained by comprehending
tests that measure the students' comprehension in math
She carried on with full comprehension of the risk involved.
c
: the capacity for understanding fully
mysteries that are beyond our comprehension
The war caused suffering beyond comprehension.
2
a
: the act or process of comprising
the comprehension of all the denominations into one Church
b
: the faculty or capability of including : comprehensiveness
the broad comprehension of the word "animal"
Synonyms
Examples of comprehension in a Sentence
The students showed excellent reading comprehension.
the president's comprehension of the current situation in the Middle East
Recent Examples on the Web
Similar reading and comprehension skills are embedded in other subjects.
—Nisha Talagala, Forbes, 2 Dec. 2024
Zweig is characteristically perceptive on the subject: Obviously, a week after Hitler had come to power the idea of monstrous events such as the burning and public execration of books, to become fact a few months later, was still beyond the comprehension of broad-minded people.
—Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 25 Nov. 2024
During twice-weekly, 90-minute sessions, readers, leaders and program coaches work to improve concentration, reading comprehension and the enjoyment of reading — all while bolstering leadership skills.
—Shelby Slade, The Arizona Republic, 13 Nov. 2024
This is better for viewers who can hear, need comprehension help or have English as a second language.
—Toby Wong, Forbes, 3 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for comprehension 
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Nisha Talagala, Forbes, 2 Dec. 2024
Zweig is characteristically perceptive on the subject: Obviously, a week after Hitler had come to power the idea of monstrous events such as the burning and public execration of books, to become fact a few months later, was still beyond the comprehension of broad-minded people.
—Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 25 Nov. 2024
During twice-weekly, 90-minute sessions, readers, leaders and program coaches work to improve concentration, reading comprehension and the enjoyment of reading — all while bolstering leadership skills.
—Shelby Slade, The Arizona Republic, 13 Nov. 2024
This is better for viewers who can hear, need comprehension help or have English as a second language.
—Toby Wong, Forbes, 3 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for comprehension
Dictionary Entries Near comprehension
Cite this Entry
“Comprehension.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/comprehension. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
comprehension
noun
com·pre·hen·sion
ˌkäm-pri-ˈhen-chən
1
: the act of comprehending
2
: knowledge gained by comprehending
3
: the capacity for understanding
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