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
One such problem is a too-common vocal style that is expressed in guttural growls, making lyrics difficult to decipher — at least for me.
—Mikal Gilmore, Rolling Stone, 30 Mar. 2025
Mathematicians are deciphered, disfigured, discounted, and dissolved.
—Richard Lederer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Mar. 2025
Those looking to decipher the film’s rather ambiguous ending would do well to remember those words.
—Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 27 Mar. 2025
Similarly, the discovery of DNA’s double-helix structure is often attributed to James Watson and Francis Crick, but their breakthrough was built on the foundational work of many others, including Rosalind Franklin, whose X-ray diffraction images were critical to deciphering DNA’s structure.
—Mark Nevins, Forbes, 24 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for decipher
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Mikal Gilmore, Rolling Stone, 30 Mar. 2025
Mathematicians are deciphered, disfigured, discounted, and dissolved.
—Richard Lederer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Mar. 2025
Those looking to decipher the film’s rather ambiguous ending would do well to remember those words.
—Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 27 Mar. 2025
Similarly, the discovery of DNA’s double-helix structure is often attributed to James Watson and Francis Crick, but their breakthrough was built on the foundational work of many others, including Rosalind Franklin, whose X-ray diffraction images were critical to deciphering DNA’s structure.
—Mark Nevins, Forbes, 24 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for decipher
Cite this Entry
“Decipher.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/decipher. Accessed 4 Apr. 2025.
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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