encode

American  

[en-kohd] / ɛnˈkoʊd /

verb (used with object)

encoded, encoding

1. to convert (a message, information, etc.) into code.

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encode British  

/ ɪnˈkəʊd /

verb

1. to convert (a message) from plain text into code

2. computing to convert (characters and symbols) into a digital form as a series of impulses Compare decode

3. to convert (an electrical signal) into a form suitable for transmission

4. to convert (a nerve signal) into a form that can be received by the brain

5. to use (a word, phrase, etc, esp of a foreign language) in the construction appropriate to it in that language

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encode Scientific  

/ ĕn-kōd′ /

1. To specify the genetic code for the synthesis of a protein molecule or a part of a protein molecule.

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Other Word Forms

• encodable
  adjective
• encodement
  noun
• encoder
  noun
• misencode
  verb (used with object)

Etymology

Origin of encode

First recorded in 1930–35; en- ¹ + code

Explanation

To encode something is to put it into a coded form. During World War II, countries would encode messages so that if they were intercepted, their enemies couldn't understand them. There are various reasons why information might need to be written in code: spies and secret agents need to encode messages so that only people who know the code can decipher their meanings. Computer languages are also thought of as codes, and when you convert information into one of these languages, you also encode it — although this modern meaning is usually shortened to the verb code.

Example Sentences

Scientists there analyze it to identify genetic mutations unique to that patient’s cancer, encode them into an mRNA vaccine and return the vaccine to New York in about nine weeks.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 21, 2026

"For the first time, we found that astrocytes encode and maintain neural fear signaling," Halladay said.

From Science Daily • Apr. 4, 2026

Now, the Surge doesn’t think it would be that much effort to encode those promises into law, to be extra careful.

From Slate • Jan. 17, 2026

Qubits, meanwhile, are the basic units of information that encode data in a quantum machine, analogous to bits in traditional computers.

From Barron's • Oct. 21, 2025

The “action” of a gene is described in mechanistic terms: genes encode chemical messages to build proteins that ultimately enable form and function.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee