From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishknow/understand what it means to be somethingknow/understand what it means to be somethingUNDERSTANDto have experienced a particular situation, so that you know what it is like I know what it means to be alone in a foreign country. → mean
Examples from the Corpus
know/understand what it means to be something• If you are overweight, then you know what it means to be in emotional pain. 