decode
Americanverb (used with object)
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to translate (data or a message) from a code into the original language or form.
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to extract meaning from (spoken or written symbols).
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Television. to unscramble (an electronic signal) so as to provide a video picture for cable subscribers.
verb (used without object)
verb
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to convert (a message, text, etc) from code into ordinary language
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computing to convert (coded characters) from one form to another, as from binary-coded decimals to decimal numbers Compare encode
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electronics to convert (a coded electrical signal) into normal analogue components
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to analyse and understand the construction of words and phrases, esp in a foreign language
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has decodedperfect 3rd person singular
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have decodedperfect
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are decodingprogressive
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has been decodingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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is decodingprogressive 3rd person singular
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am decodingprogressive 1st person singular
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decodingparticiple
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decodessingular 3rd person
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have been decodingperfect progressive
Past
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had decodedperfect
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had been decodingperfect progressive
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was decodingprogressive singular
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were decodingprogressive plural
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decodedparticiple
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decodedsimple
Future
Etymology
Origin of decode
Explanation
When you translate a message from symbols or code into language, you decode it. British code breakers worked during World War II to decode Germany's coded messages. You might need to decode a secret message sent by a spy, but some computer scientists also decode the symbols in computer languages into grammatically correct language. Sometimes older people don't understand the lingo that younger people are using — they might ask a grandchild to help them decode lines in a song, for example. When sound engineers translate between analog and digital signals, they also decode.
Vocabulary lists containing decode
All the Noise at Once
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Explain
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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.
But it might take some time to decode them.
From Salon • May 10, 2026
Cerebras claims its chips process AI model decode tasks up to 25 times faster than Nvidia’s GPUs, offering a premium service.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 13, 2026
So look for Nvidia to discuss how Groq LPUs will help broaden and customize its future chip portfolio to address training, prefill, and decode.
From Barron's • Mar. 13, 2026
Funded by the Buckinghamshire-based ME Association and carried out at Imperial College London, the Rosetta Stone study hopes to look for biomarkers and "decode the immunological profile" of both conditions.
From BBC • Feb. 1, 2026
There were things to look for, an unspoken language of movement and form to decipher, passwords to exchange, and glances to decode.
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
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.
