encode

American  

[en-kohd] / ɛnˈkoʊd /

verb (used with object)

encoded, encoding

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

---

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

---

encode Scientific  

/ ĕn-kōd′ /

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

---

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

Example Sentences

These vortices offer additional ways to encode information, but most existing systems can produce only a single type of pattern and usually lack the ability to switch between modes.

From Science Daily • Feb. 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

Instead of coding for a viral protein like Covid, these mRNA vaccines encode fragments of tumor-specific proteins.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 5, 2025

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 whole fabric of honey bee society depends on communication— on an innate ability to send and receive messages, to encode and decode information.

From "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd