construe

UK: /kənˈstruː/

US: /kənˈstru/

US: (v. kən stro̅o̅′ or, esp. Brit., kon′stro̅o̅; n. kon′stro̅o̅)

Inflections of 'construe' (v): (⇒ conjugate)

construes

v 3rd person singular

construing

v pres p

construed

v past

construed

v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

con•strue /kənˈstru/   v. [~ + object + as + object] , -strued, -stru•ing. 

1. to explain the meaning of; interpret:
   My comments were incorrectly construed as criticism.

con•stru•a•bil•i•ty /kənˌstruəˈbɪlɪti/  n. [uncountable]
con•stru•a•ble, adj. 
con•stru•al, n. [uncountable]
con•stru•er, n. [countable] See -stru-.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

con•strue  (v. kən stro̅o̅′ or, esp. Brit., kon′stro̅o̅;n. kon′stro̅o̅), v., -strued, -stru•ing, n. 
v.t. 

1. to give the meaning or intention of;
   explain;
   interpret.
2. to deduce by inference or interpretation;
   infer:
   He construed her intentions from her gestures.
3. to translate, esp. orally.
4. Grammar to analyze the syntax of;
   to rehearse the applicable grammatical rules of:
   to construe a sentence.
5. Grammar to arrange or combine (words, phrases, etc.) syntactically.

v.i. 

6. Grammar to admit of grammatical analysis or interpretation.

n. 

7. the act of construing.
8. something that is construed.

• Latin construere to put together, build, equivalent. to con- con- + struere to pile up, arrange, perh. akin to sternere to spread, strew; see stratum
• Middle English construen 1325–75

con•stru′er, n. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

construe / kənˈstruː/ verb ( -strues, -struing, -strued)(mainly tr)

1. to interpret the meaning of (something): you can construe that in different ways
2. (may take a clause as object) to discover by inference; deduce
3. to analyse the grammatical structure of; parse (esp a Latin or Greek text as a preliminary to translation)
4. to combine (words) syntactically
5. (also intr) to translate literally, esp aloud as an academic exercise

Etymology: 14th Century: from Latin construere to pile up; see construct

conˈstruable adjective