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
This poll result, of course, spurred a series of memes across the internet:
Rather than focusing on the political ramifications of the Iowa poll, this piece explores something different: how memes have become a tool for communication and comprehension.
—Callum Booth, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024
The following interview was edited for length and comprehension.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Oct. 2024
Instrumental music also seems to interfere less with reading comprehension and assignments requiring verbal and visual memory than music with lyrics.
—Jillian Hubertz, Discover Magazine, 5 Oct. 2024
The kenning’s true meaning lies beyond the edges of my comprehension.
—Jonah Walters, Longreads, 24 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for comprehension 
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Callum Booth, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024
The following interview was edited for length and comprehension.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Oct. 2024
Instrumental music also seems to interfere less with reading comprehension and assignments requiring verbal and visual memory than music with lyrics.
—Jillian Hubertz, Discover Magazine, 5 Oct. 2024
The kenning’s true meaning lies beyond the edges of my comprehension.
—Jonah Walters, Longreads, 24 Oct. 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 Nov. 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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