decipher
Americanverb (used with object)
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deciphers,
present (3rd person singular)
-
deciphered,
past participle, past
-
deciphering
present participle
-
to make out the meaning of (poor or partially obliterated writing, etc.).
to decipher a hastily scribbled note.
-
to discover the meaning of (anything obscure or difficult to trace or understand).
to decipher hieroglyphics.
- Synonyms:
- explain, unravel, solve, comprehend
-
to interpret by the use of a key, as something written in cipher.
to decipher a secret message.
-
Obsolete. to depict; portray.
verb
-
to determine the meaning of (something obscure or illegible)
-
to convert from code into plain text; decode
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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decipherabilitynoun
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decipherernoun
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deciphermentnoun
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decipherableadjective
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undecipherableadjective
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undecipheredadjective
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undecipherablyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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deciphersimple
-
decipherssimple
-
have decipheredperfect
-
has decipheredperfect
-
am decipheringprogressive
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are decipheringprogressive
-
is decipheringprogressive
-
have been decipheringperfect progressive
-
has been decipheringperfect progressive
Past
-
decipheredsimple
-
had decipheredperfect
-
was decipheringprogressive
-
were decipheringprogressive
-
had been decipheringperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing decipher
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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.
See Examples For:
The AI agents had traded information on their tasks in a clipped patois that took time to decipher.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
You don’t need to decide what to watch or decipher subtext and creative interpretation.
From Slate ● Sep. 26, 2026
It’s looking like a year where the winners will be easy to decipher, according to awards prognosticators, which includes The Times’ award columnist Glenn Whipp.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
"More globally, this work is a step forward in the combined use of laboratory experiments and AI to decipher the information that is embedded in the sequence of the DNA bases in humans," said Kadonaga.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 23, 2026
Instead of trying to decipher which of the men are to be trusted and which are not, I have made it simple for myself: Trust no one.
From "Blood on the River" by Elisa Carbone
Cathy, meanwhile, deciphers the key to life through Lewis Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland,” a story about a girl like her who survives an upside-down world.
From Salon ● Oct. 3, 2026
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
While the latter deciphers it at his candle-lamp, he goes on to give its history.
From When Ghost Meets Ghost by William Frend De Morgan
After cracking the first, he was given a second which he also deciphered.
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 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
Then a law-enforcement officer wrote a new computer program that finally deciphered the information.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 15, 2025
The S-shaped copper sculpture has baffled cryptography enthusiasts since its 1990 installation on the grounds of the CIA headquarters in Virginia, with three of its four messages deciphered so far.
From Barron's ● Nov. 19, 2025
Kyle spread out the remaining cookies in his palm: U N F E H A V. He grinned as he deciphered an easy anagram.
From "Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library" by Chris Grabenstein
Come early to mingle with the cast, in character, of course, who may or may not need your help in deciphering some puzzles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
And with wedding season in full swing, our style experts offer advice for deciphering head-scratching dress codes like “Hollywood Western” and “Catskills chic.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
Turing played a crucial role in the Allies' victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two by helping to crack codes and deciphering the infamous Enigma machine at Bletchley Park.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
The bots also weren’t great at deciphering things like maps.
From MarketWatch ● May 13, 2026
One morning two children pushed open the door and were startled at the sight of a filthy and hairy man who was still deciphering the parchments on the worktable.
From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
