decode

verb

de·​code (ˌ)dē-ˈkōd 

decoded; decoding; decodes

transitive verb

1

a

: to convert (something, such as a coded message) into intelligible form

b

: to recognize and interpret (an electronic signal)

2

a

: decipher sense 3a

b

: to discover the underlying meaning of

decode the play's imagery

Did you know?

To decode is to take out of code and put into understandable language. (Its opposite is encode, "to put into coded form".) But dreams may sometimes also be decoded; psychologists often try to decode the images of their patients' dreams so as to understand the emotions behind them. And readers must often decode what a novel or story or poem is telling them, which may require two or three readings. Decipher is often a synonym, though we now use it when talking about reading difficult handwriting.

Synonyms of decode

• decipher

Examples of decode in a Sentence

Readers can easily decode the novel's imagery.

I'm trying to decode the expression on her face.

The box decodes the digital signal for your CD player.

Recent Examples on the Web

The downside is that nearby dots interfere with each other more, but the team solved that using a machine learning model to decode the data accurately. —New Atlas, 21 Feb. 2026

Then, a machine-learning system decodes the visual patterns back into digital data. —Munis Raza, Interesting Engineering, 20 Feb. 2026

Scratched markings on Roman-era stones that were previously dismissed or cataloged as decorative doodling might actually be game boards — artifacts of social life and competition that no one recognized because no framework existed to decode them. —Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 19 Feb. 2026

One example is the computational problem of decoding the Hawking radiation of a black hole. —Ben Brubaker, Quanta Magazine, 17 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1896, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for decode

• abode
• anode
• barcode
• bestowed
• boatload
• borrowed
• carload
• caseload
• cathode
• commode
• corrode
• crossroad

Kids Definition

decode

verb

de·​code (ˈ)dē-ˈkōd 

: to change (as a secret message) from code into ordinary language

decoder noun