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Synonyms

decoder

American  
[dee-koh-der] / diˈkoʊ dər /

noun

  1. a person who decodes messages or the like.

  2. a device for decoding cryptograms, codes, or the like, as an electric or electronic apparatus that transforms arbitrary input signals into letters, words, etc.

  3. Navigation. an electronic circuit designed to respond only to certain signals and to reject others.

  4. Computers. a circuit designed to produce a single output when actuated by a certain combination of inputs.

  5. Television. a box attached to a television set containing circuitry to unscramble encoded signals, as cable-television programs or closed captions, so that the signals can be displayed on the screen.

decoder Scientific  
/ dē-kō′dər /

  1. An electronic or software device that converts telecommunication signals from their transmitted form into a form interpretable to other devices or to human beings.

Etymology

Origin of decoder

First recorded in 1915–20; decode + -er 1

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.

As the titular character of “The Amateur,” Charlie comes off as timid and cautious, both at home and in his professional life as a decoder at the CIA.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 11, 2025

An expert was trained to develop a "decoder" for the simpler bar task that makes it possible for the interface to translate brain waves into commands.

From Science Daily • Apr. 1, 2024

The decoder worked well enough that subjects trained simultaneously for the bar game and the more complicated car racing game, which required thinking several steps ahead to make turns.

From Science Daily • Apr. 1, 2024

A precursor to cable, the service used a technology called Phonevision to deliver first-run movies and live sporting events through phone lines and a decoder installed in the home.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 23, 2024

It was like something was telling me there was a message for me on this flyer but I didn’t have the decoder ring to read what it was.

From "Bud, Not Buddy" by Christopher Paul Curtis

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.