cypher

[sahy-fer]

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

/ ˈsaɪfə /

noun

1. a variant spelling of cipher

Word History and Origins

Origin of cypher¹

First recorded in 1995–2000

Example Sentences

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

Read more on BBC

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

Read more on BBC

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

Read more on BBC

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

Read more on Salon

Because as well as illustrating this historic document, he is the designer of the King's cypher, the logo that you will begin to see on new banknotes, public buildings, uniforms and eventually on new postboxes.

Read more on BBC