decoding

American

[dee-koh-ding] / diˈkoʊ dɪŋ /

noun

the act, process, or result of extracting meaning or usable information, as from a code, written or spoken symbols, or an electronic signal.

The device that performs the decoding is called a digital to analog converter.
Recent decodings of the hieroglyphs at Palenque refer to dates beyond the end of the Mayan calendar.

adjective

relating to the process of extracting meaning or usable information, as from a code or an electronic signal.

The decoding algorithm will have to discern a valid signal from the noise.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

decodings

plural

Etymology

Origin of decoding

First recorded in 1895–1900; decod(e) ( def. ) + -ing ¹ ( def. ) for the noun; decod(e) ( def. ) + -ing ² ( def. ) for the adjective

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:

decoding decodings

"The data now available allow increasingly precise stellar ages to serve as powerful tools for decoding the story of the Milky Way, ushering in a new era of discovery about our home Galaxy."

From Science Daily ● Apr. 29, 2026

“I’m all about decoding the rhythms of the music,” she adds.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 7, 2026

In the journal Nature, Microsoft's research arm said Silica was the first glass storage technology that had been demonstrated to be reliable for writing, reading and decoding data.

From Barron's ● Feb. 18, 2026

It abandoned the hokum that convinced educators that they could teach kids to read through pictures and context clues rather than decoding words.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 21, 2026

Peris hadn’t given an address, but Tally knew the trick for decoding the random-looking numbers at the bottom of a ping.

From "Uglies" by Scott Westerfeld

The documents, known as the "Magic intercepts," are decodings of the secret messages of 33 other nations, including France, Denmark, Mexico and the Netherlands.

From Time Magazine Archive

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023