transitive verb construed -·strued′, construing -·stru′·ing

1. to analyze (a sentence, clause, etc.) so as to show its syntactic construction and its meaning
2. loosely to translate (a passage) orally
3. to explain or deduce the meaning of; interpret her silence was construed as agreement
4. to infer or deduce
5. Gram. to combine in syntax the verb “let,” unlike “permit,” is construed with an infinitive omitting the “to”

Etymology: ME construen < L construere: see construct

intransitive verb

1. to analyze sentence structure, esp. in translating
2. to be able to be construed, as a sentence