decipher
Americanverb (used with object)
-
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
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.
Carmel-by-the-Sea has long had its own dispatch center, with workers trained to decipher people’s descriptions of where they live, former Police Chief Paul Tomasi told The Times in 2024.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 22, 2026
Brende noted that "the interest is to come together at the beginning of the year to try to connect the dots, decipher, and also see areas where we can collaborate".
From Barron's • Jan. 13, 2026
That said, economists and central bankers have an ongoing intellectual debate to decipher whether AI is indeed the reason for the rise in productivity.
From MarketWatch • Jan. 7, 2026
The recent government shutdown complicated the efforts of economists to decipher where the economy is heading, depriving them of some government-collected data they need to read the tea leaves.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 20, 2025
“Well, not many people could read this anyway. It’s the same secret writing that I used. As you saw, not even Elinor can decipher it.”
From "Inkheart" by Cornelia Funke
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.
