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"
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
An advanced comprehension of toolmaking and the ability to apply it to different materials suggests that ancient human ancestors had greater cognitive abilities than previously believed, the researchers said.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 5 Mar. 2025
According to Clint Watts, a cybersecurity expert who served as the show's technical consultant, this balance between technical accuracy and viewer comprehension was key.
—Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 4 Mar. 2025
Try Audiobooks--Audiobooks improve pronunciation, fluency and comprehension while making stories more engaging for reluctant readers.
—Linetta Jackson Special To The Democrat-Gazette, arkansasonline.com, 27 Feb. 2025
Students took comprehension tests before and after a lecture.
—Uma Raja, Sun Sentinel, 27 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for comprehension
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Ashley Strickland, CNN, 5 Mar. 2025
According to Clint Watts, a cybersecurity expert who served as the show's technical consultant, this balance between technical accuracy and viewer comprehension was key.
—Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 4 Mar. 2025
Try Audiobooks--Audiobooks improve pronunciation, fluency and comprehension while making stories more engaging for reluctant readers.
—Linetta Jackson Special To The Democrat-Gazette, arkansasonline.com, 27 Feb. 2025
Students took comprehension tests before and after a lecture.
—Uma Raja, Sun Sentinel, 27 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for comprehension
Cite this Entry
“Comprehension.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/comprehension. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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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