decode

verb

de·​code (ˌ)dē-ˈkōd 

decoded; decoding; decodes

transitive verb

1

a

: to convert (something, such as a coded message) into intelligible form

b

: to recognize and interpret (an electronic signal)

2

a

: decipher sense 3a

b

: to discover the underlying meaning of

decode the play's imagery

Did you know?

To decode is to take out of code and put into understandable language. (Its opposite is encode, "to put into coded form".) But dreams may sometimes also be decoded; psychologists often try to decode the images of their patients' dreams so as to understand the emotions behind them. And readers must often decode what a novel or story or poem is telling them, which may require two or three readings. Decipher is often a synonym, though we now use it when talking about reading difficult handwriting.

Synonyms

• break
• crack
• decipher
• decrypt

Examples of decode in a Sentence

Readers can easily decode the novel's imagery.

I'm trying to decode the expression on her face.

The box decodes the digital signal for your CD player.

Recent Examples on the Web

As Gamache races to decode an unsettling break-in, a cryptic note, and a hit-and-run, a massive threat lurks. —Staff, The Christian Science Monitor, 21 Oct. 2024

But decoding the bird vocalizations is another matter. —Rivka Galchen, The New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2024

The first to make major progress on decoding the Rosetta Stone was an English physicist named Thomas Young. —Ashlyn Messier, Fox News, 18 Sep. 2024

Yet, in the process of eliminating human error and decoding complex probabilities in foreign exchange trading, these systems have introduced new uncertainties of their own—uncertainties too intricate for human comprehension. —Dr. Mithu Storoni, TIME, 16 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1896, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

decode

verb

de·​code (ˈ)dē-ˈkōd 

: to change (as a secret message) from code into ordinary language

decoder noun