decipher

verb

de·​ci·​pher dē-ˈsī-fər 

deciphered; deciphering; deciphers

transitive verb

1

: decode sense 1a

decipher a secret message

2

obsolete : depict

with her majesty's name deciphered in gold letters

—Jonathan Swift

3

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

decipherable

dē-ˈsī-f(ə-)rə-bəl 

adjective

decipherer

dē-ˈsī-fər-ər 

noun

decipherment

dē-ˈsī-fər-mənt 

noun

Synonyms

• break
• crack
• decode
• decrypt

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

There are some years when the top of the NFL Draft feels rather easy to decipher as soon as the regular season ends. —Nick Baumgardner, The Athletic, 6 Jan. 2025

Although the Kubernetes ecosystem offers many observability tools, these usually provide generalized errors and alerts that are hard to decipher for developers. —Ben Ofiri, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2025

Eye contact is the result of earnestly and actively trying to decipher the communication of the other person and ensure that your communication is received. —Michael Chad Hoeppner, TIME, 27 Dec. 2024

Sometimes, they're stated in legal terminology that's hard to decipher. —Hope Karnopp, Journal Sentinel, 20 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1545, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids 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

decipherable

-f(ə-)rə-bəl 

adjective

decipherment

-fər-mənt 

noun