Decode

noun, verb

noun, verb ·2 syllables ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A product of decoding

    "If and when the remaining Allied intercepts and decodes are opened up, we may expect to learn a great deal more about the later stages of the Holocaust."

  2. 2
    Output from a program or device used to interpret communication protocols

    "This version includes more than 400 decodes that cover everything from legacy decodes to popular decodes and new or updated decodes for such protocols as voice over IP H.323, Server Message Block, Border Gateway Protocol Version 4, and Internet Inter-ORB Protocol"

Verb
  1. 1
    To convert from an encrypted form to plain text.

    "The cryptographer decoded the secret message and sent the result to the officer."

  2. 2
    convert code into ordinary language wordnet
  3. 3
    To figure out something difficult to interpret.

    "I finally managed to decode the nearly illegible doctor's prescription."

Synonyms

All synonyms
decipherdecipherdecryptdecryptanagramanswer

Example

More examples

"Tom couldn't decode the secret message."

Etymology

From de- + code.

Related phrases

plain text

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.