construe

verb

kən-ˈstrü How to pronounce construe (audio)
Definition of construenext
as in to interpret
to make plain or understandable the role of the justices of the Supreme Court in construing the constitution

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of construe Cliches were wielded like shields Tuesday, protecting against the imminent threat of social clips construed as bulletin board material. — Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2026 For instance, if those involved in the sponsorship/endorsement transactions schemed to distort their actual purpose, that type of activity could be construed as money laundering. — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 11 Sep. 2026 Still others have construed Clancy’s story as evidence for their own niche political beliefs. — Elizabeth Bruenig, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2026 Advisory services through Atomic are not to be construed as tax advice or financial planning and do not take into consideration investments that clients may hold outside of Atomic. — Andreina Rodriguez, CNBC, 19 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for construe
Recent Examples of Synonyms for construe
  1. explain
  2. clarify
  3. illustrate
  4. demonstrate
  5. interpret
  6. explicate
  7. elucidate
Verb
  • An elephantine star becoming a black hole doesn’t explain it either.
    — Robin George Andrews, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Maybe this explains why Effective Altruism—the idea that generosity should be subjected to evidence and calculation—seemed counterintuitive.
    — David Miliband, Time, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of explain
Verb
  • Mayer also clarified that a new single is definitely coming this year.
    — Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The court wants the parties to clarify the impact of DeWine’s executive order on the case.
    — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of clarify
Verb
  • Its flight heritage illustrates the importance of dependable computing hardware in missions where repairs are difficult or impossible.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The incident illustrates the failures of trust and safety provisions that are supposed to protect against this kind of confusion.
    — Mia Sato, The Verge, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of illustrate
Verb
  • The improvement demonstrates how low-noise lasers and high-quality optical resonators can increase rotation sensitivity on a photonic chip.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Their accounts demonstrate how AI is blurring the line between what's real and what's fake in the already fraught arena of online dating.
    — Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of demonstrate
Verb
  • Here, the feature is designed to acquire and interpret the substance of a conversation — and the user has deliberately opted in.
    — MacKenzie Sigalos,Annie Palmer, CNBC, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Part of its purpose, from the beginning, was not only to deliver new facts but to interpret ragged events for a nervous audience of relatively prosperous, largely white viewers who shared Wallace’s concern about the shape and tenor of the future.
    — Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of interpret
Verb
  • This book is a classic, explicating a theoretical base for the cause of revolution, particularly on the continent of Africa.
    — The Know, Denver Post, 13 Sep. 2026
  • The exhibit mostly circumvents contextualizing the architectural details of the office, and rather aims to explicate the man who worked within it.
    — Katherine McLaughlin, Architectural Digest, 26 June 2026
Definition of explicate
Verb
  • However, studying familial genetic predispositions can help elucidate how lung cancer develops and lead to new biomarkers for early cancer detection in high-risk groups.
    — Estelamari Rodriguez, The Conversation, 14 Oct. 2026
  • An announcement released in May by the US Department of the Interior elucidated the conclusions reached by the museum.
    — News Desk, Artforum, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of elucidate

Browse Nearby Words

constructs
construe
construed
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Cite this Entry

“Construe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/construe. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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