decipher meaning and examples

Meaning

To decipher means to figure out or make sense of something that is difficult to understand or unreadable — such as a code, handwriting, or hidden meaning. It often implies effort in interpreting something unclear or complex.

Grammar and Usage

• Part of speech: Verb
• Verb type: Transitive (takes an object)

Patterns:

• decipher something e.g. He deciphered the secret message.
• decipher meaning/writing/code e.g. Can you decipher his handwriting?

Tense examples:

• Present: I decipher the message.
• Past: She deciphered the code.
• Gerund: Deciphering old scripts is difficult.

Common Phrases

• decipher a code – to solve a coded message
• decipher handwriting – to read unclear writing
• decipher a message/text – to understand something hidden
• decipher meaning/significance – to interpret something deeper

Collocations

Examples

1. It took years to decipher the ancient hieroglyphs on the temple walls.
2. I couldn’t decipher what he wrote in his note.
3. The detective deciphered the coded message left at the crime scene.
4. Linguists are still trying to decipher the lost language of that civilization.
5. She tried to decipher his true feelings from his tone.
6. The software helps decipher old texts scanned from manuscripts.
7. It’s hard to decipher sarcasm in online messages.
8. They finally deciphered the mysterious numbers on the wall.

Synonyms or Related

• decode
• interpret
• translate
• figure out
• make out
• unravel

Antonym

• encode
• encrypt
• conceal
• obscure