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
Times data reporter Terry Castleman created two maps that help decipher how California’s housing affordability crisis has transformed the state.
—Defne Karabatur, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2024
The pop star also posted a cryptic video on Instagram filled with what appears to be Easter eggs about her new era, leaving Swifties scrambling to decipher them in time.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 17 Apr. 2024
One of the most famous archaeological finds in history, the stone slab allowed scholars to decipher hieroglyphs for the first time, presenting the same statement in hieroglyphic script, Demotic and ancient Greek.
—Kate McMahon, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024
In near-instant time, the beeps could be deciphered by Morse-code stations thousands of miles away.
—Saahil Desai, The Atlantic, 2 Mar. 2024
As these networks get bigger, their abilities explode, but deciphering their inner workings has always been near impossible.
—Anil Ananthaswamy, Quanta Magazine, 12 Apr. 2024
These businesses often lack in-house legal departments dedicated to filing audits, recording statistics and deciphering which information is wanted by which authorities — the European, federal, state and local governments.
—Melissa Eddy, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2024
Here's our guide to deciphering the pantheon of fruit desserts.
—Patricia S York, Southern Living, 9 Apr. 2024
Criminal profiling, the technique of deciphering the psychological makeup of offenders, is a crucial part of solving true crime mysteries.
—Callie Cassick, Fox News, 28 Mar. 2024
Defne Karabatur, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2024
The pop star also posted a cryptic video on Instagram filled with what appears to be Easter eggs about her new era, leaving Swifties scrambling to decipher them in time.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 17 Apr. 2024
One of the most famous archaeological finds in history, the stone slab allowed scholars to decipher hieroglyphs for the first time, presenting the same statement in hieroglyphic script, Demotic and ancient Greek.
—Kate McMahon, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024
In near-instant time, the beeps could be deciphered by Morse-code stations thousands of miles away.
—Saahil Desai, The Atlantic, 2 Mar. 2024
As these networks get bigger, their abilities explode, but deciphering their inner workings has always been near impossible.
—Anil Ananthaswamy, Quanta Magazine, 12 Apr. 2024
These businesses often lack in-house legal departments dedicated to filing audits, recording statistics and deciphering which information is wanted by which authorities — the European, federal, state and local governments.
—Melissa Eddy, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2024
Here's our guide to deciphering the pantheon of fruit desserts.
—Patricia S York, Southern Living, 9 Apr. 2024
Criminal profiling, the technique of deciphering the psychological makeup of offenders, is a crucial part of solving true crime mysteries.
—Callie Cassick, Fox News, 28 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'decipher.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near decipher
Cite this Entry
“Decipher.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/decipher. Accessed 1 May. 2024.
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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