1
as in to crack
to change (as a secret message) from code into ordinary language
we deciphered the hidden message to find out when we were supposed to meet
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to understand
to have a clear idea of
a convoluted thriller, the plot of which I was never able to actually decipher
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of decipher
At first this voice from the heavens has seemingly sent a benign message but it’s quickly deciphered to be a DNA cocktail for Earthlings to investigate.
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Jeff Spry, Space.com, 14 Nov. 2025
By uncovering these complex vocal structures, this research marks a crucial step in deciphering the meaning behind sperm whale communication.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 12 Nov. 2025
While expeditions in the early 1990s deciphered crucial insights into the ship’s final moments, one expedition drew sharp criticism after a crewman’s body was found.
—Caitlin Looby, jsonline.com, 4 Nov. 2025
All these tropes — gaydar and girls without it — make for easier narratives, but the presumption that the codes of the heart can be deciphered on the body is one that, outside the world of absurdist comedy — and probably sometimes within it as well — can wound and damage.
—Kelly Foster Lundquist, PEOPLE, 2 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for decipher
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decipher
Verb
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Over time, the gasket can become dry and cracked, allowing hot air to enter the fridge.—
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Grout's biggest challenge is cracking from improper installation or too much moisture.—
Verb
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Even though just three can alert to an emergency, many more are needed to understand what is behind those emergencies.—
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Those specifics aside, more stunningly, researchers discovered that these brave, early explorers of new worlds demonstrated a different way of moving than had been previously understood.—
Verb
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That’s translates to month rent between $1,124 and $1,499 for an individual or $1,605 to $2,140 for a family of four, per Boise affordability guidelines.—
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An interpreter translated the judge's comments for Nino-Moncada.—
Verb
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Peaceful but active, a place where everyone knows everyone and, mostly, everyone cares for everyone else.—
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All of these parks have been known to their communities for their criminal activity and for those of us who grew up playing at these parks, there was never a hint that life could be otherwise.—
Verb
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Joanna Gaines and Sydney Sweeney were even ahead of the game and broke theirs out back in October and November, respectively.—
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This can break the pathways that allow fire to spread from one structure to the next.—
Verb
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And only by comprehending the Star Eaters will Ro also comprehend his part in their potential destruction.—
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The sky served up no shortage of spectacle in 2025 —from lunar liaisons, solar prominences and fleeting meteor showers, to aurora and nebula scenes that unfold on a scale almost too massive for the human mind to comprehend.—
Verb
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In fact, the face is so important to our social fabric that there’s an area of the brain—called the fusiform face area—devoted exclusively to decoding it.—
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Its circular form mirrored a dinner plate, allowing viewers to intuitively grasp proportion and balance without decoding symbolism.—
Verb
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Police later issued a bulletin, and a Chicago police officer who had encountered Thurman just days earlier recognized him.—
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Josselyn used that grant to go into schools to train teachers, staff and teens on how to recognize signs of a mental health crisis and how to respond, Resko said.—
Cite this Entry
“Decipher.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decipher. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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