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Definition of "decipher" []

  • To read or interpret (ambiguous, obscure, or illegible matter). See Synonyms at solve. (verb-transitive)
  • To convert from a code or cipher to plain text; decode. (verb-transitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "decipher" in a sentence
  • "What I've been trying to decipher is whether John Donne is actually buried in St. Paul's Cathedral or not, in London."
  • "Pointing out that you wrote out sentences that are literally impossible to decipher is not an ad hominem."
  • "He certainly heard the question, because he repeated it back to Steve Murphy aloud, probably in the hopes that saying it to himself would help him decipher the code words masquerading as basic eighth grade English."