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Synonyms

decipher

American  
[dih-sahy-fer] / dɪˈsaɪ fər /

verb (used with object)

deciphers, present (3rd person singular) deciphered, past participle, past deciphering present participle
  1. to make out the meaning of (poor or partially obliterated writing, etc.).

    to decipher a hastily scribbled note.

  2. to discover the meaning of (anything obscure or difficult to trace or understand).

    to decipher hieroglyphics.

    Synonyms:
    explain, unravel, solve, comprehend
  3. to interpret by the use of a key, as something written in cipher.

    to decipher a secret message.

  4. Obsolete. to depict; portray.


decipher British  
/ dɪˈsaɪfə /

verb

  1. to determine the meaning of (something obscure or illegible)

  2. to convert from code into plain text; decode

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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Etymology

Origin of decipher

First recorded in 1520–30; translation of Middle French déchiffrer; equivalent to de- + cipher

Explanation

Decipher means translate from code, or more generally, figure out. If you can’t decipher your teacher's writing, it means you can't read it. You might feel like you're being asked to decipher a code. During World War II, the Nazis used a machine called the Enigma to encode secret messages. An operator would type the message with a keyboard, which would activate a set of rotors, giving each letter a different value. The code was difficult for the Allies to crack, but eventually the code was deciphered by the British, hastening the end of the war.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing decipher

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.

See Examples For:

Dr Helen Paul, an economic historian at the University of Southampton, was one of the experts brought in to decipher 18th Century ledgers.

From BBC Jun. 18, 2026

Administration officials fielded phone calls from executives and political allies trying to decipher whether Trump’s threat was a bluff or a prelude to an escalation.

From The Wall Street Journal Apr. 8, 2026

Wall Street is trying to decipher who the software winners and losers will be as artificial intelligence capabilities ramp up.

From Barron's Mar. 16, 2026

Their goal was not to decipher the symbols, which remain undecoded, but to measure their structural properties.

From Science Daily Feb. 25, 2026

When we reach the jungle, we peer into it, trying to decipher what may be waiting inside.

From "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins

Ms. Allen traces pen names, decodes handwriting and deciphers marginalia in Richmond’s correspondence and books.

From The Wall Street Journal Jun. 12, 2026

The new study deciphers the whole reaction network for the first time, determines the dominant molecular pathway and unveils the critical role of electrocatalysis in modifying the reaction's kinetics.

From Science Daily Feb. 6, 2024

The brain deciphers the signals and takes action in milliseconds - a process completed every second or so for 12 or more hours a day.

From Washington Times Dec. 14, 2023

Both fall into the field of “generative AI,” or AI that ingests vast quantities of data and can then output nominally original media based on patterns it deciphers.

From Los Angeles Times Nov. 22, 2023

It was there that that poetry arose which modern satiety seeks for, the poetry of reverie and reflection, which penetrates man's heart and deciphers his most intimate thoughts and vaguest wishes.

From The Development of the Feeling for Nature in the Middle Ages and Modern Times by Biese, Alfred

Meadows says no one has deciphered why the vineyard produces such exquisite wines, but it is some combination of terroir, or environment, as well as 2,000 years of trial and error by the region’s winemakers.

From The Wall Street Journal May 31, 2026

For decades, they remained largely untouched, but researchers have now deciphered them, uncovering texts that range from magical rituals to royal records and everyday administrative notes.

From Science Daily May 5, 2026

Signal's end-to-end encryption means that any sent message travels in a scrambled form and can only be deciphered by the end user.

From Barron's Apr. 25, 2026

I often thought it was because he didn’t exactly want them deciphered, or that he wanted to maintain a level of constant ambiguity.

From Slate Nov. 17, 2025

After much effort, the king finally deciphered the words: You are a leader only to those who choose to follow.

From "When the Sea Turned to Silver" by Grace Lin

But he doesn’t routinely recommend male prenatals, he said, citing limited studies for men, unlike for women, as well as challenges deciphering between brands in an industry not vigorously regulated.

From The Wall Street Journal Apr. 7, 2026

"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 Feb. 10, 2026

She exits her state without deciphering Paula’s words, yet feels an innate and moving satisfaction anyway, as if she could glean the meaning of what her former patient said without understanding every word.

From Salon Jan. 18, 2026

Even for policy wonks, it’s a challenge to keep up with the cadence of discounts and negotiated prices while deciphering what is merely optics and what represents actual savings.

From MarketWatch Dec. 4, 2025

“Once I knew that, I started deciphering more of the string,” continued Kat.

From "City Spies" by James Ponti

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