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
So what can Wall Street decipher from his first day of testimony?
—Nicole Goodkind, CNN, 10 July 2024
How to decipher the comet's 13P/Olbers name ◾ The number 13 means the comet Olbers was the 13th comet to be recognized as periodic.
—Janet Loehrke, USA TODAY, 8 July 2024
By then, comic heroes had begun blurring their morality, inching their way to becoming corrupt Watchmen, and Ditko felt readers couldn’t decipher right from wrong.
—Jay Deitcher, Rolling Stone, 2 July 2024
Left to decipher such potential riddles is Adam Simon, the Heat’s vice president of basketball operations and assistant general manager, who oversees the team’s draft.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 21 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for decipher 
Nicole Goodkind, CNN, 10 July 2024
How to decipher the comet's 13P/Olbers name ◾ The number 13 means the comet Olbers was the 13th comet to be recognized as periodic.
—Janet Loehrke, USA TODAY, 8 July 2024
By then, comic heroes had begun blurring their morality, inching their way to becoming corrupt Watchmen, and Ditko felt readers couldn’t decipher right from wrong.
—Jay Deitcher, Rolling Stone, 2 July 2024
Left to decipher such potential riddles is Adam Simon, the Heat’s vice president of basketball operations and assistant general manager, who oversees the team’s draft.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 21 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for decipher
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'decipher.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near decipher
Cite this Entry
“Decipher.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/decipher. Accessed 15 Jul. 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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