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Synonyms

interpret

American

[in-tur-prit] / ɪnˈtɜr prɪt /

verb (used with object)

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

to interpret the hidden meaning of a parable.
to construe or understand in a particular way.

to interpret a reply as favorable.
to bring out the meaning of (a dramatic work, music, etc.) by performance or execution.
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.
to translate orally.
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)

to translate what is said in a foreign language.
to explain something; give an explanation.

interpret British

/ ɪnˈtɜːprɪt /

verb

(tr) to clarify or explain the meaning of; elucidate
(tr) to construe the significance or intention of

to interpret a smile as an invitation
(tr) to convey or represent the spirit or meaning of (a poem, song, etc) in performance
(intr) to act as an interpreter; translate orally

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Usage

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.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of interpret

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

Explanation

When you interpret something, you make sense of it. You could interpret a graph, a foreign language, or even Mona Lisa's odd smile. If you're ordering food in a foreign land, you may need someone to interpret the menu for you. When you get tripped up or struggle to understand a subject even in your own language — like calculus, for example — sometimes you can find meaning, or interpret it for yourself. Or sometimes you'll need a teacher to work on the problem with you, showing how to interpret the mathematical language.

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Vocabulary lists containing interpret

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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:

interpret interprets interpreted interpreting

Because the differences appear during development, the findings also raise the possibility that support aimed at helping autistic children interpret facial emotions could be particularly beneficial when introduced earlier in childhood.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 28, 2026

The Korean equity market is a weathervane for sentiment in the global artificial-intelligence trade and a leading indicator for how investors interpret the growth prospects of America’s biggest AI stocks.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026

He’s malleable and clueless about a lot of things, including whether it’s appropriate to interpret a female colleague’s nervous vomiting as an indicator that she’s pregnant.

From Salon ● Oct. 22, 2026

The incident highlights the difficulties companies can still face when using AI to speed up or simplify work processes, especially when it is used to interpret words in a specific context.

From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026

This could be used to interpret the hidden meaning of words.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

The sequence begins when visual information enters the eyes and continues as the brain interprets that information until a face is recognized.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 28, 2026

Now, a Jefferies market intelligence analyst interprets the current wobble as one of the last attractive opportunities to build exposure ahead of what he expects to be a strong November and December.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026

A "reasoning model" trained on task-specific examples interprets the goal and formulates Phantom's action plan.

From BBC ● Jun. 8, 2026

AI software the company calls Hyperintuition interprets your movements to deliver the right force.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 21, 2026

But they also light up when the brain interprets something as pleasurable, even if the behavior doesn’t appear to have the survival value of, say, eating or procreating.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel

He has a stick-to-the-message-ness that can make him seem rehearsed—or can be interpreted as discipline from someone who is taking his race dead seriously.

From Slate ● Oct. 29, 2026

But several Treasury sources took issue with this being interpreted as a promise to do so by the next election.

From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026

Still, the dissents were interpreted as an indication that the rate-hike debate, which Warsh described as a “family fight,” would continue at the central bank.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026

Successive dynasties employed specialists to monitor celestial events because unusual phenomena in the sky were often interpreted as omens.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 26, 2026

She interpreted this—rightly—as a sign that he was nervous, that this moment meant something to him, and found it sweet.

From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng

This type of logic, which determines the law of the land by interpreting obscure bits of history over utilizing common sense, is what Gladwell calls “bananas.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026

Through repeated experiences that challenge familiar expectations, patients may gradually develop different ways of interpreting situations and relating to other people.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 19, 2026

This could help explain why people sometimes repeat harmful patterns in relationships or continue interpreting situations negatively despite evidence that challenges their assumptions.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 19, 2026

Severin added that the retired senior judges and leading barristers, who sat on the Commission, have "spent their careers interpreting complicated facts, dealing with witnesses and applying relevant weight to evidence".

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

If I’m trying to look stern as I give you a tongue-lashing, I’ll have no difficulty doing so, and you’ll have no difficulty interpreting my glare.

From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell

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