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
This is where unified customer/retailer data will play a big role — deciphering behavior drivers to find more customers.
—Lauren Parker, WWD, 15 Jan. 2025
In deciphering sagas of eons past, astronomers find few examples more intriguing than Messier 67, or M67, which is a large, loosely bound group of sun-like stars dwelling in the outskirts of the Milky Way, our home galaxy.
—Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 15 Jan. 2025
Meet America's sleuths searching for a crypto-millionaire’s hidden treasure
Since November, legions of amateur treasure hunters have been racing to decipher clues.
—Nicole Fallert, USA TODAY, 2 Jan. 2025
Recent advancements in deciphering spam through AI have led to improvements, and there is potential for significant spam reduction in the near future.
—Zak Doffman, Forbes, 25 Dec. 2024
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Lauren Parker, WWD, 15 Jan. 2025
In deciphering sagas of eons past, astronomers find few examples more intriguing than Messier 67, or M67, which is a large, loosely bound group of sun-like stars dwelling in the outskirts of the Milky Way, our home galaxy.
—Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 15 Jan. 2025
Meet America's sleuths searching for a crypto-millionaire’s hidden treasure
Since November, legions of amateur treasure hunters have been racing to decipher clues.
—Nicole Fallert, USA TODAY, 2 Jan. 2025
Recent advancements in deciphering spam through AI have led to improvements, and there is potential for significant spam reduction in the near future.
—Zak Doffman, Forbes, 25 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for decipher
Dictionary Entries Near decipher
Cite this Entry
“Decipher.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/decipher. Accessed 22 Jan. 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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