Definition of cipher
(Entry 1 of 2)
1a
: zero sense 1a
b
: one that has no weight, worth, or influence : nonentity
It was an odd fact that the financier, a cipher in his own home, could impress all sorts of people at the office.— P. G. Wodehouse Why did the family, I wondered, act as if Rita hardly existed? Was she that much of a cipher?— Andrew M. Greeley
2a
: a method of transforming a text in order to conceal its meaning
secret communications written in cipher
— compare code sense 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
cipher
verbDefinition of cipher (Entry 2 of 2)
: to use figures in a mathematical process
all children should learn to read, write, and cipher— M. Pattison
1
: encipher
ciphered the letters that passed between the two heads of state
2
: to compute arithmetically
ciphered out the sum in his head
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
Test Your Vocabulary
The Exceptions Quiz III
-
- Which of these words does not mean "nonsense"?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!
TAKE THE QUIZ
Spell words. Make bears.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Words at Play
Ask the Editors
Share cipher
Time Traveler for cipher
The first known use of cipher was in the 14th century
See more words from the same century