decipher
verb
de·ci·pher
dē-ˈsī-fər 
deciphered; deciphering; deciphers
1
: decode sense 1a
decipher a secret message
2
obsolete
: depict
… with her majesty's name deciphered in gold letters …—
Jonathan Swift
Jonathan Swift3
a
: to make out the meaning of despite indistinctness or obscurity
trying to decipher her handwriting
b
: to interpret the meaning of
decipher the poem
Examples of decipher in a Sentence
I couldn't decipher his sloppy handwriting.
we deciphered the hidden message to find out when we were supposed to meet
Recent Examples on the Web
No one had written them down, and the band had to listen to the few tapes that existed and try to decipher his words.
—Mark Richardson, Pitchfork, 28 Feb. 2026
Looking through the official tiebreaker rules, the American-Statesman has attempted to decipher the reasoning behind Texas State's seeding.
—Caleb Yum, Austin American Statesman, 28 Feb. 2026
Kentridge coauthored a previous study on artifacts from the same period that bear similar markings, in which researchers attempted to decipher the meaning of the signs.
—Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 25 Feb. 2026
Artificial intelligence chipmaker Nvidia on Wednesday announced another quarter of astounding quarterly growth as investors try to decipher whether technology’s latest craze is overblown hyperbole or a springboard into a new era of prosperity and productivity.
—Boston Herald Wire Services, Boston Herald, 25 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for decipher
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Mark Richardson, Pitchfork, 28 Feb. 2026
Looking through the official tiebreaker rules, the American-Statesman has attempted to decipher the reasoning behind Texas State's seeding.
—Caleb Yum, Austin American Statesman, 28 Feb. 2026
Kentridge coauthored a previous study on artifacts from the same period that bear similar markings, in which researchers attempted to decipher the meaning of the signs.
—Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 25 Feb. 2026
Artificial intelligence chipmaker Nvidia on Wednesday announced another quarter of astounding quarterly growth as investors try to decipher whether technology’s latest craze is overblown hyperbole or a springboard into a new era of prosperity and productivity.
—Boston Herald Wire Services, Boston Herald, 25 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for decipher
Cite this Entry
“Decipher.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/decipher. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
decipher
verb
de·ci·pher
di-ˈsī-fər
1
: to convert into understandable form
especially
: decode
2
: to make out the meaning of despite lack of clearness
decipher sloppy handwriting
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