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
The National Assessment of Educational Progress, for instance, reveals that many students are advancing through grade levels without a corresponding improvement in their reading fluency or comprehension.
—Lyssanoel Frater, USA Today, 7 Feb. 2026
The other thing that’s important is a sense of power beyond our comprehension and control.
—Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2026
Some of them seem to seize us by the very roots of our comprehension; others might as well be reading from the Terms and Conditions of Use for Spotify.
—James Parker, The Atlantic, 27 Jan. 2026
Moreover, comprehension is not the same as integration either.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for comprehension
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Lyssanoel Frater, USA Today, 7 Feb. 2026
The other thing that’s important is a sense of power beyond our comprehension and control.
—Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2026
Some of them seem to seize us by the very roots of our comprehension; others might as well be reading from the Terms and Conditions of Use for Spotify.
—James Parker, The Atlantic, 27 Jan. 2026
Moreover, comprehension is not the same as integration either.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for comprehension
Cite this Entry
“Comprehension.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/comprehension. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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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