figure out vs understand

figure out and understand both are verbs.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
figure out	No	No	Yes	No
understand	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, understand is a hypernym of figure out; that is, understand is a word with a broader meaning than figure out:

figure out: find the solution to (a problem or question) or understand the meaning of
understand: know and comprehend the nature or meaning of

figure out (verb)	understand (verb)
find the solution to (a problem or question) or understand the meaning of	know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
	perceive (an idea or situation) mentally
	believe to be the case
	make sense of a language
	be understanding of