interpret

[in-tur-prit]

verb (used with object)

1. to give or provide the meaning of; explain; explicate; elucidate.

   to interpret the hidden meaning of a parable.

2. to construe or understand in a particular way.

   to interpret a reply as favorable.

3. to bring out the meaning of (a dramatic work, music, etc.) by performance or execution.

4. to perform or render (a song, role in a play, etc.) according to one's own understanding or sensitivity.

   The actor interpreted Lear as a weak, pitiful old man.

5. to translate orally.

6. Computers.

   1. to use an interpreter to transform (a program written in a high-level language) into a sequence of machine actions, one statement at a time, executing each statement immediately before going on to transform the next one.

   2. to read (the patterns of holes in punched cards) with an interpreter, printing the interpreted data on the same cards so that they can be read more conveniently by people.

verb (used without object)

1. to translate what is said in a foreign language.

2. to explain something; give an explanation.

interpret

/ ɪnˈtɜːprɪt /

verb

1. (tr) to clarify or explain the meaning of; elucidate

2. (tr) to construe the significance or intention of

   to interpret a smile as an invitation

3. (tr) to convey or represent the spirit or meaning of (a poem, song, etc) in performance

4. (intr) to act as an interpreter; translate orally

Other Word Forms

• interpretable adjective
• interpretability noun
• interpretableness noun
• interpretably adverb
• noninterpretability noun
• noninterpretable adjective
• preinterpret verb (used with object)
• reinterpret verb
• self-interpreted adjective
• self-interpreting adjective
• uninterpretable adjective
• uninterpreted adjective
• well-interpreted adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of interpret¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English interpreten, from Latin interpretārī, derivative of interpret-, stem of interpres “explainer”

Word History and Origins

Origin of interpret¹

C14: from Latin interpretārī, from interpres negotiator, one who explains, from _inter- + -pres, probably related to pretium _price

Example Sentences

Ms Yadav says she learnt the art of interpreting cues, anticipating problems and reacting in real time to avert crises.

From BBC

Those who work with the prince and his family are cautious about how those words are interpreted.

From BBC

But by the 1980s, much chimp behavior was being interpreted in ways that would have been labeled anthropomorphism — ascribing human traits to non-human entities — decades earlier.

From Los Angeles Times

The way state law has been interpreted, traffic tickets can only be issued to an actual driver.

From Los Angeles Times

Fourteen of the women did not speak English as their first language and, the report recorded, interpreting was not used consistently in seven of those cases.

From BBC

Related Words

• clarify 
• construe 
• decipher 
• depict 
• describe 
• enact 
• explain 
• illustrate 
• portray 
• read 
• solve 
• translate 
• understand 
• view 

When To Use

What are other ways to say interpret?

To interpret is to give or provide the meaning of something, or to construe or understand something in a particular way. What’s the difference between interpret, elucidate, expound, and explain? Find out on Thesaurus.com.