misunderstand

verb

mis·​un·​der·​stand (ˌ)mi-ˌsən-dər-ˈstand How to pronounce misunderstand (audio)
misunderstood (ˌ)mi-ˌsən-dər-ˈstu̇d How to pronounce misunderstand (audio) ; misunderstanding

transitive verb

1
: to fail to understand
2
: to interpret incorrectly

Examples of misunderstand in a Sentence

Don't misunderstand me—I'm not criticizing your decision. He feels that the critics have completely misunderstood his movies. She expressed herself in clear terms that no one could misunderstand.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Miss why someone has a gun, misunderstand how to help Standing before a class of a dozen new gun owners in summer 2023, firearms instructor Jieire Vance ticked through slides. John Diedrich, USA TODAY, 14 Dec. 2024 The Brazilian seemed to misunderstand Johnson’s position. Brian Mazique, Forbes, 9 Dec. 2024 Conservative voters are wrong about crime statistics, but both sides misunderstand each other. Jamil Zaki, TIME, 23 Nov. 2024 By strip-mining messages into bland, lifeless summaries, Apple seems to be misunderstanding what makes texting so special in the first place. Lila Shroff, The Atlantic, 19 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for misunderstand 

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of misunderstand was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near misunderstand

Cite this Entry

“Misunderstand.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/misunderstand. Accessed 26 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

misunderstand

verb
mis·​un·​der·​stand (ˌ)mis-ˌən-dər-ˈstand How to pronounce misunderstand (audio)
misunderstood -ˈstu̇d How to pronounce misunderstand (audio) ; misunderstanding
1
: to fail to understand
2
: to interpret incorrectly

More from Merriam-Webster on misunderstand

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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