grok

C2 Topic:Mind & Cognition

US /ɡrɒk/ UK /ɡrɒk/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

verb
to understand something deeply and intuitively

He seemed to grok the concept immediately, without needing further explanation.
2

verb
to empathize with or connect deeply with something

After years on the team, she really groks how they think.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to understand something... comprehend grasp fathom getcatch on

2 verb · to empathize with or... relate toconnect withresonate withidentify withtune into

Opposites

misunderstand misconstrue

Etymology

Coined by Robert A. Heinlein in his 1961 novel Stranger in a Strange Land, where 'grok' was a Martian term meaning to understand so thoroughly that one becomes one with the thing; in Modern English, 'to understand deeply and intuitively'.

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# grok

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /ɡrɒk/
**IPA (UK):** /ɡrɒk/

## Meanings
1. to understand something deeply and intuitively
2. to empathize with or connect deeply with something

## Examples
- He seemed to grok the concept immediately, without needing further explanation.
- After years on the team, she really groks how they think.

## Synonyms
- comprehend
- grasp
- fathom
- get
- catch on
- relate to
- connect with
- resonate with
- identify with
- tune into

## Antonyms
- misunderstand
- misconstrue

## Etymology
Coined by Robert A. Heinlein in his 1961 novel Stranger in a Strange Land, where 'grok' was a Martian term meaning to understand so thoroughly that one becomes one with the thing; in Modern English, 'to understand deeply and intuitively'.

## AI Etymology
Grok was coined by Robert A. Heinlein in his 1961 novel Stranger in a Strange Land, where 'grok' was a Martian term meaning to understand so thoroughly that one becomes one with the thing; in Modern English, 'to understand deeply and intuitively'. In current use it is a verb meaning "to understand something deeply and intuitively". That sense is explained by the older material without requiring a speculative semantic step: the inherited or borrowed base supplies the field of meaning, while the English formation fixes its modern role. The history is mainly one of transmission into English, with the older form and sense carried through borrowing or adaptation. For dictionary purposes, the important point is the continuity between the older form, the route into English, and the present lexical sense.

## Topics
- Mind & Cognition

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grok

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