1
as in to crack
to change (as a secret message) from code into ordinary language
we deciphered the hidden message to find out when we were supposed to meet
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to understand
to have a clear idea of
a convoluted thriller, the plot of which I was never able to actually decipher
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of decipher
Body camera footage of the standoff shows a scuffle, but deciphering exactly what happened from the video and photos is difficult.
—
Jared Gans, The Hill, 21 May 2025
Sometimes, Tarhan explained, women will flip the cups over and try and try to decipher the meaning left behind by the coffee sediment — kind of like reading your fortune in tea leaves.
—Samantha Husted, Charlotte Observer, 12 May 2025
Finally, Ross helps boost your energy intelligence to decipher when rest requires slowing down and when it’s achieved by accelerating in a new, reinvigorating direction.
—Serenity Gibbons, Forbes.com, 12 June 2025
Experts are still working to decipher exactly where the artifact is from.
—Rachel Flynn, People.com, 27 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for decipher
Jared Gans, The Hill, 21 May 2025
Sometimes, Tarhan explained, women will flip the cups over and try and try to decipher the meaning left behind by the coffee sediment — kind of like reading your fortune in tea leaves.
—Samantha Husted, Charlotte Observer, 12 May 2025
Finally, Ross helps boost your energy intelligence to decipher when rest requires slowing down and when it’s achieved by accelerating in a new, reinvigorating direction.
—Serenity Gibbons, Forbes.com, 12 June 2025
Experts are still working to decipher exactly where the artifact is from.
—Rachel Flynn, People.com, 27 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for decipher
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decipher
Verb
-
The album first cracked the top 10 on the Billboard 200 on the chart dated Aug. 31, 1985, and first reached No. 1 on the chart dated March 8, 1986.—
Paul Grein,
Billboard,
25 June 2025
-
Whoever cracks this first could use a first mover’s advantage to build a hard-to-beat flywheel of highly engaged, big-spending consumers that attracts partner brands and retailers that don’t want to miss out on a new growth channel.—
Jason Del Rey,
Fortune,
25 June 2025
Verb
-
My obsession to understand this woman, so strange considering her ambitions and remarkable intelligence, is on every page.—
Literary Hub
June 23,
Literary Hub,
23 June 2025
-
People don’t often understand how much support goes into helping a refugee get acclimated to life in the U.S., especially early on, one employee that asked not to be named told The Star.—
Sofi Zeman,
Kansas City Star,
23 June 2025
Verb
-
But underneath that, there’s often something harder to name — a kind of emotional itch, or mood, that doesn’t really translate.—
Jordi Lippe-McGraw,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
-
Sophisticated algorithms translate a veteran’s answers into smart checklists that track claims deadlines, medical appointments, and appeal windows.—
Nia Bowers,
USA Today,
30 June 2025
Verb
-
The Trump administration said the strikes destroyed Iran's nuclear infrastructure, but the full extent of the damage is not known.—
Sonam Sheth
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 June 2025
-
The attack is believed to be part of a hacking spree perpetrated by a cybercrime group known as Scattered Spider.—
Thomas Brewster,
Forbes.com,
24 June 2025
Verb
-
The idea was that a group of military commandos would break quarantine and try to get to the place where the virus had originated, in order to find a cure.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
21 June 2025
-
He was later fired for misconduct stemming from the case and broke his silence in a series of interviews after Read's verdict was announced, after he was not invited to take the stand in her second trial.—
Melina Khan,
USA Today,
21 June 2025
Verb
-
They had been expected to argue that severe mental disease or defect caused Purdy not to comprehend that his conduct was wrong.—
Emerson Clarridge,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
27 June 2025
-
Business leaders must comprehend enough about AI to ask informed questions and understand system limitations.—
Andrew Mawson,
Forbes.com,
25 June 2025
Verb
-
While high-end IEMs provide the very best sound quality, they are limited by the tether of their cable and need an external DAC to decode the hi-res music source.—
Mark Sparrow,
Forbes.com,
24 June 2025
-
After taking a photo of the ice and converting it to grayscale, the researchers trained a computer to decode the message by detecting the position and size of bubbles based on their grayscale value (regions without bubbles are dark gray, while bubbles are almost white).—
Jack Knudson,
Discover Magazine,
20 June 2025
Verb
-
This led to conflicts with horse-riders, but, recognizing that there were more cyclists than horse-riders, the municipality gave bicyclists legal access to horse tracks in the early 1880s.—
Matthew Wills,
JSTOR Daily,
1 July 2025
-
Every year, The Hollywood Reporter recognizes the town’s best and most influential business managers working behind the scenes to manage the financial lives of entertainment’s most high-profile figures.—
Trey Williams,
HollywoodReporter,
1 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Decipher.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decipher. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share