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
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.
Decode is the process by which the model, using all it has learned in training, spits out a response to the query.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 16, 2026
She has had bylines in outlets including the San Francisco Chronicle and TechCrunch, and has appeared as an expert voice on programs including CNN, Here & Now, Recode Decode, and Today, Explained.
From The Verge • Jul. 13, 2022
Decode Genetics has been looking at how genetics shape a person’s body, mind and personality.
From BBC • Oct. 20, 2021
“My initial reaction was like this is L-O-L. This is crazy talk,” Rapinoe told Kara Swisher in an episode of the Recode Decode podcast released this week.
From Washington Post • Jul. 29, 2019
All he had to do now was press Decode.
From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer
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.
