interpret

From Wiktionary

Pronunciation[change]

Verb[change]

Plain form
interpret

Third-person singular
interprets

Past tense
interpreted

Past participle
interpreted

Present participle
interpreting

  1. (transitive) If you interpret something, you understand a particular meaning in it, and may explain that meaning to others.
    Children's behaviour can often be difficult to interpret.
    The findings of this study should be interpreted with caution because of its small size.
    Jackson observed the same events but interpreted them differently.
    We must understand the language of dreams before we can begin to interpret their meanings.
    Teaching students about simple statistics will help them to interpret the data.
    Students with reading problems have difficulty reading words, and therefore cannot interpret the text.
    The court should interpret the law rather than making it up.
  2. (transitive & intransitive) If you interpret, you translate in real time as people are talking.
    In the hospital, I interpreted for the American doctor and the nurses who didn't speak Spanish.

Synonyms[change]

Related words[change]