interpret

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English Vietnamese dictionary

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Advanced English dictionary

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+ verb
1 [VN] to explain the meaning of sth: The students were asked to interpret the poem.
2 [VN] ~ sth (as sth) to decide that sth has a particular meaning and to understand it in this way: I didn't know whether to interpret her silence as acceptance or refusal. + The data can be interpreted in many different ways.
Compare: MISINTERPRET
3 [V] ~ (for sb) to translate one language into another as you hear it: She couldn't speak much English so her children had to interpret for her.
4 [VN] to perform a piece of music, a role in a play, etc. in a way that shows your feelings about its meaning: He interpreted the role with a lot of humour.
interpretable adjective: interpretable data

Thesaurus dictionary

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v.

1 explain, explicate, clear up, clarify, elucidate, illuminate, throw or shed light on, simplify, decipher, decode, define, spell out, make sense (out) of, translate, paraphrase:

Would you interpret this clause of the agreement for me?

2 understand, construe, take (to mean), read, figure or work out, sort out, unravel:

I haven't any idea how to interpret this poem.

Collocation dictionary

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ADV.

correctly, rightly | wrongly | differently

Different people might interpret events differently.

| clearly | broadly, liberally

The term ‘business’ is here interpreted broadly to include all types of organization in the public and private sectors. The strictness of the rules, even when liberally interpreted, has the effect of restricting innovation.

| narrowly, restrictively, strictly | literally | metaphorically

It is context and convention that determine whether a term will be interpreted literally or metaphorically.

| easily, readily

These figures cannot be easily interpreted.

| cautiously

These results must be interpreted cautiously.

VERB + INTERPRET

be difficult to, be hard to | be able/unable to | seek to, try to

We all seek to interpret what we hear and what we read.

PREP.

as

Her message was interpreted as a warning to the general.

PHRASES

be variously interpreted (as sth)

The figure of the Ancient Mariner has been variously interpreted (= interpreted in various different ways).

| be widely interpreted as sth

Her resignation has been widely interpreted as an admission of her guilt.

Concise English dictionary

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interprets|interpreted|interpretingɪn'tɜrprɪt /-'tɜːp-
verb
+make sense of; assign a meaning to
+give an interpretation or explanation to
+give an interpretation or rendition of
+create an image or likeness of
+restate (words) from one language into another language
+make sense of a language