decipher
Americanverb (used with object)
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deciphers,
present (3rd person singular)
-
deciphered,
past participle, past
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deciphering
present participle
-
to make out the meaning of (poor or partially obliterated writing, etc.).
to decipher a hastily scribbled note.
-
to discover the meaning of (anything obscure or difficult to trace or understand).
to decipher hieroglyphics.
- Synonyms:
- explain, unravel, solve, comprehend
-
to interpret by the use of a key, as something written in cipher.
to decipher a secret message.
-
Obsolete. to depict; portray.
verb
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to determine the meaning of (something obscure or illegible)
-
to convert from code into plain text; decode
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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decipherabilitynoun
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decipherernoun
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deciphermentnoun
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decipherableadjective
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undecipherableadjective
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undecipheredadjective
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undecipherablyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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deciphersimple
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decipherssimple
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have decipheredperfect
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has decipheredperfect
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am decipheringprogressive
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are decipheringprogressive
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is decipheringprogressive
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have been decipheringperfect progressive
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has been decipheringperfect progressive
Past
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decipheredsimple
-
had decipheredperfect
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was decipheringprogressive
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were decipheringprogressive
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had been decipheringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of decipher
First recorded in 1520–30; translation of Middle French déchiffrer; equivalent to de- + cipher
Explanation
Decipher means translate from code, or more generally, figure out. If you can’t decipher your teacher's writing, it means you can't read it. You might feel like you're being asked to decipher a code. During World War II, the Nazis used a machine called the Enigma to encode secret messages. An operator would type the message with a keyboard, which would activate a set of rotors, giving each letter a different value. The code was difficult for the Allies to crack, but eventually the code was deciphered by the British, hastening the end of the war.
Vocabulary lists containing decipher
English Words Derived from Arabic
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The City of Ember
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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.
See Examples For:
When the second-largest U.S. bank discloses its quarterly financial results, analysts have to decipher the lexicon of CEO Brian Moynihan, riddled with obscure, archaic words fit for novelists or judges of bygone centuries.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
It means that some of parts of the document release are hard to decipher, with key passages within messages, or entire exchanges, redacted.
From BBC ● Jun. 1, 2026
"Gaia is delivering on its promise: by combining its data with ground-based spectroscopy and galaxy simulations, it allows us to decipher the formation history of our Galaxy."
From Science Daily ● Apr. 29, 2026
Wall Street is trying to decipher who the software winners and losers will be as artificial intelligence capabilities ramp up.
From Barron's ● Mar. 16, 2026
Even manual typewriters had been banned, for fear that eavesdroppers could somehow decipher what was being typed from the sound of the keys.
From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau
Ms. Allen traces pen names, decodes handwriting and deciphers marginalia in Richmond’s correspondence and books.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
The new study deciphers the whole reaction network for the first time, determines the dominant molecular pathway and unveils the critical role of electrocatalysis in modifying the reaction's kinetics.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 6, 2024
The brain deciphers the signals and takes action in milliseconds - a process completed every second or so for 12 or more hours a day.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 14, 2023
Both fall into the field of “generative AI,” or AI that ingests vast quantities of data and can then output nominally original media based on patterns it deciphers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 22, 2023
While the latter deciphers it at his candle-lamp, he goes on to give its history.
From When Ghost Meets Ghost by William Frend De Morgan
Meadows says no one has deciphered why the vineyard produces such exquisite wines, but it is some combination of terroir, or environment, as well as 2,000 years of trial and error by the region’s winemakers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 31, 2026
For decades, they remained largely untouched, but researchers have now deciphered them, uncovering texts that range from magical rituals to royal records and everyday administrative notes.
From Science Daily ● May 5, 2026
Signal's end-to-end encryption means that any sent message travels in a scrambled form and can only be deciphered by the end user.
From Barron's ● Apr. 25, 2026
I often thought it was because he didn’t exactly want them deciphered, or that he wanted to maintain a level of constant ambiguity.
From Slate ● Nov. 17, 2025
Occasionally, when talking to Roy’s mother, Mr. Eberhardt would refer to his working for the “D.O.J.,” which Roy had deciphered as the United States Department of Justice.
From "Hoot" by Carl Hiaasen
But there is no standardized public key for deciphering them; codes vary among plants and products, and the absence of an obvious “TF” is no guarantee Taylor Farms wasn’t involved.
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026
Mr. Ely provides a few sentences of transcribed testimony before analyzing the case’s factual details and deciphering any unusual language from the period.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
The bots also weren’t great at deciphering things like maps.
From MarketWatch ● May 13, 2026
"We are deciphering the 'identity card' of tumors, by identifying, one by one, the key variables that determine the evolution of the disease," explains Pittet.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 10, 2026
I knew the secret to deciphering the riddle must involve the wrapper in some way, but I still couldn’t sort out how.
From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline
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.
