decipher
Americanverb (used with object)
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to make out the meaning of (poor or partially obliterated writing, etc.).
to decipher a hastily scribbled note.
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to discover the meaning of (anything obscure or difficult to trace or understand).
to decipher hieroglyphics.
- Synonyms:
- explain, unravel, solve, comprehend
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to interpret by the use of a key, as something written in cipher.
to decipher a secret message.
-
Obsolete. to depict; portray.
verb
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to determine the meaning of (something obscure or illegible)
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to convert from code into plain text; decode
Other Word Forms
- decipherability noun
- decipherable adjective
- decipherer noun
- decipherment noun
- undecipherable adjective
- undecipherably adverb
- undeciphered adjective
Etymology
Origin of decipher
First recorded in 1520–30; translation of Middle French déchiffrer; equivalent to de- + cipher
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
With the boxes colored in and filled with symbols, it was like a secret language, a code only knitters could decipher.
From Literature
Their goal was not to decipher the symbols, which remain undecoded, but to measure their structural properties.
From Science Daily
Dorsey acknowledged that mention markets might seem silly, but he added: “I’m optimistic that there will eventually be useful information coming from these things, especially when they involve deciphering coming announcements from important political figures.”
Videogames today are similarly pervasive and often depend on deciphering clues for their resolution.
"We are deciphering the 'identity card' of tumors, by identifying, one by one, the key variables that determine the evolution of the disease," explains Pittet.
From Science Daily
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
