cipher

noun, often attributive ci·pher \ ˈsī-fər \

Updated on: 12 Apr 2018

Definition of cipher

1 a : zero 1a

b : one that has no weight, worth, or influence : nonentity

She was nothing more than a cipher.

2 a : a method of transforming a text in order to conceal its meaning

secret communications written in cipher

— compare code 3b

b : a message in code

The cipher cannot be decoded without the key.

3 : arabic numeral

4 : a combination of symbolic letters; especially : the interwoven initials of a name

coins that bore the cipher of the sultan

See cipher defined for English-language learners

See cipher defined for kids

Examples of cipher in a Sentence

a cipher that can't be decoded
She was nothing more than a cipher.

Recent Examples of cipher from the Web

Yet many of the characters are cut from recycled cardboard, while Kennedy himself, played by Jason Clarke, remains a cipher.

— joe morgenstern, WSJ, "‘Chappaquiddick’ Review: Tragedy Without Clarity," 5 Apr. 2018
Jack was something of a political cipher in 1947, impatient with the pace of lawmaking and often absent, plagued with back pain and other ills.

— eileen mcnamara, BostonGlobe.com, "How Eunice Kennedy Shriver parlayed her famous name into a legacy of public service," 27 Mar. 2018
Zuckerberg is a cipher for all of this uncertainty and anxiety.

— chris cillizza, CNN, "How Mark Zuckerberg went from 2020 darling to political scourge," 20 Mar. 2018
And, an electronic cipher lock where judges and their staff must enter a code.

— ian shapira, Washington Post, "Biometric hand scans and reinforced concrete: The history of the secret FISA court," 9 Feb. 2018
International partners can hardly negotiate with political ciphers in good faith.

— The Economist, "CharlemagnePower does not always lie where you might expect in Europe," 1 Mar. 2018
Nijinsky has more to do but is still a cipher, despite Mr. Cusati-Moyer’s feral energy.

— jesse green, New York Times, "Review: An Impresario of ‘Fire and Air’ (if He Does Say So Himself)," 1 Feb. 2018
Both factions are presented as all but taking it for granted that Trump himself represented a cipher — a state of affairs that left the awesome power of the presidency dangling as the prize for winning the internal struggle.

— tory newmyer, Washington Post, "The Finance 202: Gary Cohn may soon be headed for the exits.," 8 Jan. 2018
Dug is a cipher of a hero who’s constantly upstaged by his fellow tribespeople, who in turn get upstaged by a sentient warthog named Hognob.

— ben sachs, Chicago Reader, "Film / Sports Early Man is an unexpected dud from the creators of Wallace and Gromit," 21 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cipher.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of cipher

Middle English, from Medieval Latin cifra, from Arabic ṣifr empty, cipher, zero

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First Known Use: 14th century

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cipher Synonyms

cipher

verb

Definition of cipher

ciphered; ciphering play \-f(ə-)riŋ\

intransitive verb

: to use figures in a mathematical process

all children should learn to read, write, and cipher
—M. Pattison

transitive verb

1 : encipher

ciphered the letters that passed between the two heads of state

2 : to compute arithmetically

ciphered out the sum in his head

Examples of cipher in a Sentence

were surprised by how much we had spent on the cruise after we had ciphered out the grand total

Recent Examples of cipher from the Web

These remnants, signals from an earlier phase of our human condition, have been endlessly ciphered by generations of archaeologists in the Bears Ears region (which is named for twin buttes near its center).

— stephen nash, New York Times, "At Bears Ears in Utah, Heated Politics and Precious Ruins," 25 July 2017