misunderstand
verb
mis·un·der·stand
(ˌ)mi-ˌsən-dər-ˈstand 
misunderstood
(ˌ)mi-ˌsən-dər-ˈstu̇d
; misunderstanding
; misunderstanding
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
The driver misunderstood the instruction and entered the fast lane before the re-start time was officially confirmed in breach of the Race Director's event notes.
—
Lydia Mee, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 May 2025
That's extremely common among these cases, said University of Idaho law professor Benji Cover, who wrote a paper about people, including noncitizens, misunderstanding election rules and being prosecuted in recent decades.
—Miles Parks, NPR, 17 May 2025
According to Sloan, the widespread resistance to annuities isn’t just about misunderstanding the product.
—William Jones, USA Today, 15 May 2025
But this way of thinking completely misunderstands the complex nature of how social forces interact in the real world.
—Sander Van Der Linden, Time, 6 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for misunderstand
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Lydia Mee, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 May 2025
That's extremely common among these cases, said University of Idaho law professor Benji Cover, who wrote a paper about people, including noncitizens, misunderstanding election rules and being prosecuted in recent decades.
—Miles Parks, NPR, 17 May 2025
According to Sloan, the widespread resistance to annuities isn’t just about misunderstanding the product.
—William Jones, USA Today, 15 May 2025
But this way of thinking completely misunderstands the complex nature of how social forces interact in the real world.
—Sander Van Der Linden, Time, 6 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for misunderstand
Cite this Entry
“Misunderstand.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/misunderstand. Accessed 2 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
misunderstand
verb
mis·un·der·stand
(ˌ)mis-ˌən-dər-ˈstand
misunderstood
-ˈstu̇d
; misunderstanding
; misunderstanding
1
: to fail to understand
2
: to interpret incorrectly
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