construing

verb

present participle of construe
as in explaining
to make plain or understandable the role of the justices of the Supreme Court in construing the constitution

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 construing Thus, Smith certainly isn’t surprised that the audience is construing the show as anti-AI, but the Pluribus brain trust would prefer not to undercut the overall viewing experience by explicitly defining it one way or another. — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 17 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for construing
  1. explaining
  2. clarifying
  3. illustrating
  4. demonstrating
  5. interpreting
  6. simplifying
Verb
  • The old boy was perfectly reasonable, explaining the difference between federal reimbursement and state reimbursement, and the speed that agencies move on the different levels.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 24 Oct. 2026
  • As this is a Lynch film, explaining the rest of the plot would be a pointless exercise, but expect plentiful violence, stylish surrealism, and a road movie that’ll shock and delight in equal measure.
    — Daisy Jones, Vogue, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of explaining
Verb
  • Before meeting with a patient advocate, identify your main objectives – for example, preparing for a transition home, clarifying a treatment plan or understanding medication changes.
    — Jennifer Schlinger, The Conversation, 6 Oct. 2026
  • In November 2025, South Korea proposed talks on clarifying the borderline, but North Korea didn’t respond.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of clarifying
Verb
  • Over time, the company has aggregated a combination of destinations, tournaments, leagues and camps, illustrating how physical facilities can anchor a broader participation business rather than function simply as real-estate assets.
    — Chris Russo, Sportico.com, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Its report points to independent software maintenance as a way for IT leaders to regain control over software budgets, illustrating its potential bias.
    — Scharon Harding, ArsTechnica, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of illustrating
Verb
  • In May 2024, The War Zone examined Chinese state television video showing soldiers taking cover from first-person-view (FPV) drones, using a net-catching projectile, and demonstrating a handheld jammer.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 25 Oct. 2026
  • The rise of self-harm influencers—people for whom demonstrating their distress online has become a source of income and validation—is a terrifying new development.
    — Gavin Francis, The New York Review of Books, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of demonstrating
Verb
  • Many voters have described their experiences on social media, with some falsely interpreting the troubles as attempts at election tampering to favor Republicans.
    — Ali Swenson, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Rafauli also drew on wabi-sabi, the Japanese philosophy that finds beauty in natural forms and imperfection, interpreting it through his own sculptural style.
    — Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of interpreting
Verb
  • All scanners and vehicles should have compatible ports, simplifying the connection.
    — BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Its modular design is intended to support installation in field environments, potentially simplifying the process of equipping vehicles with robotic capabilities.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of simplifying

Browse Nearby Words

construes
construing
consul
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Construing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/construing. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of milieu

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All