understand

verb

1 he couldn't understand anything we said to him:

comprehend, apprehend, grasp, see, take in, perceive, discern, make out, puzzle out, recognize, keep up with, master, get to know, follow, fathom, get to the bottom of, penetrate, divine, interpret, unravel, decipher, see the light about, envisage;

informal get the hang of, get the drift of, catch onto, latch onto, tumble to, crack, make head or tail of, figure out, dig, get, get one's head around, wrap one's mind around, see daylight, get the picture, get the message;

British, informal twig, suss out, suss;

North American, informal savvy;

rare cognize.

▷antonyms misunderstand, misinterpret.

2 Suzanne understood how hard her husband had worked:

appreciate, recognize, realize, acknowledge, know, be aware of, be conscious of, be cognizant of, accept;

commiserate with, feel compassionate toward, sympathize with, empathize with;

informal take on board, be wise to.

▷antonyms ignore.

3 I understand that you wish to take legal action:

believe, be led to believe, be given to understand, think, conclude, come to the conclusion, deduce, infer, draw the inference, assume, surmise, fancy;

gather, take it, hear, hear tell, be informed, notice, see, learn, discover.