/ kənˈstruː; NAmE / verb
[ vn ] [ usually passive ] construe sth (as sth) ( formal ) to understand the meaning of a word, a sentence, or an action in a particular way
SYN interpret :
He considered how the remark was to be construed.
Her words could hardly be construed as an apology.
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WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English : from Latin construere , from con- together + struere pile, build, in late Latin analyse the construction of a sentence.