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
Daboll’s fourth-down decisions were typically hard to decipher.
—Dan Duggan, The Athletic, 9 Dec. 2024
Having deep industry and marketing experience allows CMOs to balance both the art and science of marketing to truly decipher how to drive growth.
—Roshni Wijayasinha, Forbes, 2 Dec. 2024
Paul has come to think of this period as the beginning of her decades-long attempt to decipher life as it is lived, not as it is schematized by contemporary philosophy.
—Alice Gregory, The New Yorker, 2 Dec. 2024
The citizens of Oz believe this savior to be the Wizard, but as is revealed shortly thereafter, the Wizard has lied about his qualifications and only Elphaba is capable of deciphering the book's strange language.
—Megan McCluskey, TIME, 22 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for decipher 
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Dan Duggan, The Athletic, 9 Dec. 2024
Having deep industry and marketing experience allows CMOs to balance both the art and science of marketing to truly decipher how to drive growth.
—Roshni Wijayasinha, Forbes, 2 Dec. 2024
Paul has come to think of this period as the beginning of her decades-long attempt to decipher life as it is lived, not as it is schematized by contemporary philosophy.
—Alice Gregory, The New Yorker, 2 Dec. 2024
The citizens of Oz believe this savior to be the Wizard, but as is revealed shortly thereafter, the Wizard has lied about his qualifications and only Elphaba is capable of deciphering the book's strange language.
—Megan McCluskey, TIME, 22 Nov. 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 21 Dec. 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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