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cypher

American  
[sahy-fer] / ˈsaɪ fər /

noun

  1. Chiefly British.  a variant of cipher.

  2. Also cipher

    1. a performance by a group of rappers, hip-hop artists, or break dancers who take turns improvising individual verses, dances, etc.

      The show ended with a freestyle cypher featuring the rappers from the headliner and the two opening acts.

    2. an individual verse, dance, etc., that is part of such a performance.

      She rose to stardom when her cypher that dissed two other male artists went viral.


cypher British  
/ ˈsaɪfə /

noun

  1. a variant spelling of cipher

"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

Etymology

Origin of cypher

First recorded in 1995–2000

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.

King Charles's uniform still has the cypher of his mother Elizabeth II.

From BBC

The King's coat of arms features the rounded Tudor crown he chose as his royal cypher upon taking the throne in 2022.

From BBC

Mr Khan was exonerated in an illegal marriage case and the cypher case, in which he was accused of divulging state secrets.

From BBC

He was a cypher coder on HMS Belfast and was granted leave.

From BBC

At the BET Hip-Hop Awards cypher, a gathering of rap artists exchanging lyrics competitively, Lamar refuted Drake's previous assertions of friendships.

From Salon