unscramble

[ uhn-skram-buhl ]

/ ʌnˈskræm bəl /

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See synonyms for unscramble on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), un·scram·bled, un·scram·bling.

to bring out of a scrambled condition; reduce to order or intelligibility.

Also descramble. to make (a scrambled radio or telephonic message) comprehensible by systematically tuning the receiver to the frequencies used in transmission.Compare decode (def. 2).

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of unscramble

First recorded in 1915–20; un-² + scramble

Words nearby unscramble

unscathed, unscented, unscheduled, unschooled, unscientific, unscramble, unscrambler, unscratched, unscreened, unscrew, unscripted

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use unscramble in a sentence

In the game, you had to unscramble successively larger, nested collections of letters to create a valid “chain” of six English words between four and nine letters in length.
Can You Buy The Right Shirt?|Zach Wissner-Gross|September 23, 2022|FiveThirtyEight
In the game of Anigrams, you unscramble successively larger, nested collections of letters to create a valid “chain” of six English words between four and nine letters in length.
Can You Build The Biggest ‘Anigram’?|Zach Wissner-Gross|September 16, 2022|FiveThirtyEight
Anyone can use the receiver’s public key to scramble data, which only the receiver can unscramble using the private key.
What are quantum-resistant algorithms—and why do we need them?|Tammy Xu|September 14, 2022|MIT Technology Review
This tool basically decodes the frequency of events, much like unscrambling ingredients that have gone into the blender for a cake.
Scientists Have Traced Earth’s Path Through the Galaxy via Tiny Crystals Found in the Crust|Chris Kirkland|August 25, 2022|Singularity Hub

This forwards five messages — the allegedly offending one along with the four previous ones in the exchange, including any images or videos — to WhatsApp in unscrambled form, according to former WhatsApp engineers and moderators.
How Facebook Undermines Privacy Protections for Its 2 Billion WhatsApp Users|by Peter Elkind, Jack Gillum and Craig Silverman|September 7, 2021|ProPublica
But, with every quarter that passes, it's harder to unscramble the egg.
Worse Than Enron?|Nomi Prins|December 1, 2009|DAILY BEAST
The disadvantage, soon manifest, was that no plan had been devised to unscramble the reports from the various tanks.
Greener Than You Think|Ward Moore
In the Pentagon it takes days to unscramble a received broadcast such as Betsy receives!
The Machine That Saved The World|William Fitzgerald Jenkins
"These two'll unscramble that broadcast," said Sergeant Bellews, with tranquil confidence.
The Machine That Saved The World|William Fitzgerald Jenkins

British Dictionary definitions for unscramble

unscramble

/ (ʌnˈskræmbəl) /

verb (tr)

to resolve from confusion or disorderliness

to restore (a scrambled message) to an intelligible form

Derived forms of unscramble

unscrambler, noun

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

unscramble

Origin of unscramble

Words nearby unscramble

Words related to unscramble

How to use unscramble in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for unscramble

Derived forms of unscramble