misapprehend

Everyday

(formal) To understand something wrongly; to misunderstand. tree →

In the lessons

It is a formal, rather rare word, used in careful writing and the exam voice. In everyday life we say «misunderstand» or «get the wrong idea». The noun «misapprehension» is more common: «under the misapprehension that…» means wrongly believing something. Phrases: «misapprehend the situation», «under a misapprehension».

Examples

• He misapprehended the question and answered the wrong thing. tree →
• I think you have misapprehended what I meant. tree →
• The detective misapprehended the clue at first. tree →
• Do not misapprehend the instructions: read them twice. tree →
• She was under the misapprehension that the trip was on Friday. tree →
• The king misapprehended the messenger's words and grew angry. tree →
• It is easy to misapprehend a joke in a text message. tree →
• They misapprehended the map and took the wrong path. tree →

Note

Regular verb: misapprehended. Formal; everyday words: «misunderstand», «get wrong». «Mis-» means wrongly; «apprehend» here means understand (it can also mean to arrest!). Noun: misapprehension. Not a maths word.