encode

verb en·code \ in-ˈkōd , en- \

|Updated on: 13 Jul 2018

Definition of encode

encoded; encoding; encodes

1 a : to convert (something, such as a body of information) from one system of communication into another; especially : to convert (a message) into code

b : to convey symbolically

the capacity of poetry to encode ideology
—J. D. Niles

2 : to specify the genetic code for

—

encoder

noun

See encode defined for English-language learners

See encode defined for kids

Examples of encode in a Sentence

Credit cards are encoded with cardholder information.
a technology that encodes images

Recent Examples of encode from the Web

For example, the authors found that compared to other mammals, the koala’s DNA includes an expansion in the number of genes that encode for enzymes involved in detoxification.

— deborah netburn, latimes.com, "The koalas are threatened. Can their genome help us save them?," 2 July 2018
More recently the psychologist David J. Creswell and his team found that the brain areas that encode the problem in the first place are reactivated during the distraction.

— daniel glaser, A-LIST, "Out of Your Mind," 1 July 2018
The three lowest frequencies are used to encode language as a sound wave.

— National Geographic, "Yanny or Laurel? Strange Audio Clip Explained.," 16 May 2018
Two further genes, HBA1 and HBA2, which encode oxygen-carrying proteins, tended to be expressed more in several tissues after death, but not in blood.

— The Economist, "Forensic scienceA new method to find the time of death shows promise," 27 Feb. 2018
People rarely stop and think about it, but our evolutionary heritage is actually encoded in our doors and staircases, our signs and signals, our cupboards and our corridors.

— adam stanton, Scientific American, "Why Do Robots Look Like Animals and Humans?," 5 June 2018
Researchers at the University of Washington encoded a strand of DNA to contain malware, which allowed them to take remote control of a computer that was being used to process genetic data.

— megan thielking, STAT, "Genealogy site MyHeritage says 92 million user accounts compromised," 5 June 2018
And even with the current implementation, bigger problems can be broken up and computed, provided that the problem can be encoded as multiple four-bit computations.

— chris lee, Ars Technica, "A few Wi-Fi transmitters and your house becomes a coprocessor," 30 Apr. 2018
Mezzanine will be cut down to 15 megabytes using the Opus music compression format, and the data will be split into 920,000 fragments, each of which will be encoded in a short DNA strand.

— david meyer, Fortune, "Scientists Are Coding an Electronic Music Masterpiece Into DNA So It Can Last Forever," 24 Apr. 2018

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

First Known Use of encode

circa 1919

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

ENCODE Defined for English Language Learners

encode

verb

Definition of encode for English Language Learners

: to put (a message) into the form of a code so that it can kept secret
: to put information in the form of a code on (something)
: to change (information) into a set of letters, numbers, or symbols that can be read by a computer