Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To understand or explain the meaning of (something), especially in a particular way; interpret: synonym: explain.
  • intransitive verb To analyze the structure of (a clause or sentence).
  • intransitive verb To use syntactically.
  • intransitive verb To translate, especially aloud.
  • intransitive verb To analyze grammatical structure.
  • intransitive verb To be subject to grammatical analysis.
  • noun An interpretation or translation.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To arrange the words of in their natural order; reduce the words of from a transposed to a natural order, so as to demonstrate the sense; hence, interpret, and, when applied to a foreign language, translate: as, to construe a sentence; to construe Greek, Latin, or French.
  • Hence To interpret; explain; show or understand the meaning of; render.
  • Synonyms Interpret, Render, etc. (see translate). Construe, Construct. “To construe means to interpret, to show the meaning; to construct means to build: we may construe a sentence, as in translation, or construct it, as in composition.”
  • To yield to or admit of grammatical analysis or interpretation: as, a sentence that will not construe.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb To apply the rules of syntax to (a sentence or clause) so as to exhibit the structure, arrangement, or connection of, or to discover the sense; to explain the construction of; to interpret; to translate.
  • transitive verb To put a construction upon; to explain the sense or intention of; to interpret; to understand.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A translation.
  • noun An interpretation.
  • verb To interpret or explain the meaning of something.
  • verb grammar To analyze the grammatical structure of a clause or sentence.
  • verb To translate.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb make sense of; assign a meaning to

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English construen, from Late Latin cōnstruere, from Latin, to build; see construct.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Late Latin construo ("to relate grammatically"), from Latin construo ("pile together")

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Examples

  • "no prudent person will deny that there is need of many supplements and explanations from other writings" than the Bible, to the end, namely, that a person may construe from the German Bibles the true Catholic faith.

    Luther Examined and Reexamined A Review of Catholic Criticism and a Plea for Revaluation 1904

  • [Footnote 1: The vulgar pronunciation of the word construe is here intended.

    The Poems of Jonathan Swift, D.D., Volume 2 Jonathan Swift 1706

  • As I've explained, the Administration bill would purport to "construe" Common Article 3 of Geneva to prohibit only what the McCain Amendment prohibits (and to cut off any judicial review that might overturn that implausible interpretation of Common Article 3).

    Balkinization 2006

  • Yet in his statement Bush said he will "construe" an exception, "which provides for opening of an item of a class of mail otherwise sealed against inspection in a manner consistent ... with the need to conduct searches in exigent circumstances."

    BUSH ON CRACK AND SUPERVIAGRA: THE POSTAL ACCOUNTABILITY AND ENHANCEMENT ACT News from Mad Plato 2007

  • Yet in his statement Bush said he will "construe" an exception, "which provides for opening of an item of a class of mail otherwise sealed against inspection in a manner consistent ... with the need to conduct searches in exigent circumstances."

    Archive 2007-01-01 News from Mad Plato 2007

  • In other words, Congress can go fly a kite as far as trying to control him in matters of National Defense, because he can "construe" the laws anyway he chooses, even construe them as null and void.

    Presidential Authority (Executive Authority) Is Always Outranked By Duly-Enacted Laws Passed By Congress 2006

  • If you believe that Israel is a legitimate state, then you will "construe" any article that treats it as legitimate as "pro-Israeli."

    By Any Means Necessary 2005

  • Besides the idiocy of thinking that an Amendment that directs a Court to "construe" something a certain way would actually work, it suffers the additional problem that it has NO POLITICAL APPEAL whatsoever.

    Libertarian Blog Place Various Libertarian Bloggers 2010

  • I'm not convinced that amendments directing Courts to "construe" words are productive, nor do I believe that defining words in the Constitution will work since the Court already disregards plain meaning of words for its own ends.

    Libertarian Blog Place Various Libertarian Bloggers 2010

  • Looking to context, if you mean "construe", I gather that you (and many other progressives) are not a fan of this "four corners" concept?

    WHAT REALLY HAPPENED Mike Rivero 2010

Comments

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  • verb: interpreted in a particular way

    The author's inability to take a side on the issue was construed by both his opponents and supporters as a sign of weakness.

    October 19, 2016