Standard Lemma guide

decode

noun · verb · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /dɪˈkəʊd/
  • UK: /diːˈkəʊd/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -əʊd
  • CMU ARPABET: D IH0 K OW1 D Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A product of decoding

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: computing, cryptography, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Output from a program or device used to interpret communication protocols

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: computing, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To convert from an encrypted form to plain text.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

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

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: decipher, decrypt, uncode

Antonyms: encode, encrypt

4

verb

Meaning 4

To figure out something difficult to interpret.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

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

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

convert code into ordinary language

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: decrypt, decipher

Antonyms: encode

Broader terms: rewrite

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *de Proto-Indo-European *-h1 Proto-Indo-European *déh1 Proto-Italic *dē Latin dē Latin dē-der. English de- English code English decode From de- + code.

Across languages

Translations

41 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: فك تشفير — to convert from an encrypted form to plain text
  • Azerbaijani: kodsuzlaşdırmaq — to convert from an encrypted form to plain text
  • Catalan: descodificar — to convert from an encrypted form to plain text
  • Chinese Mandarin: 解碼 /解码 (jiěmǎ) — to convert from an encrypted form to plain text
  • Czech: rozšifrovat — to convert from an encrypted form to plain text
  • Czech: dekódovat — to convert from an encrypted form to plain text
  • Danish: afkode — to convert from an encrypted form to plain text
  • Dutch: ontcijferen — to convert from an encrypted form to plain text
  • Esperanto: malkodi — to convert from an encrypted form to plain text
  • Finnish: purkaa koodaus — to convert from an encrypted form to plain text
  • Finnish: avata — to convert from an encrypted form to plain text
  • Finnish: dekoodata — to convert from an encrypted form to plain text
  • French: décoder — to convert from an encrypted form to plain text
  • German: decodieren — to convert from an encrypted form to plain text
  • Greek: αποκωδικοποιώ (apokodikopoió) — to convert from an encrypted form to plain text
  • Greek: αποκωδικογραφώ (apokodikografó) — to convert from an encrypted form to plain text
  • Greek: αποκρυπτογραφώ (apokryptografó) — to convert from an encrypted form to plain text
  • Hungarian: dekódol — to convert from an encrypted form to plain text
  • Hungarian: megfejt — to convert from an encrypted form to plain text
  • Italian: decodificare — to convert from an encrypted form to plain text
  • Japanese: 解読する (kaidoku suru) — to convert from an encrypted form to plain text
  • Māori: wetewaehere — to convert from an encrypted form to plain text
  • Portuguese: descodificar — to convert from an encrypted form to plain text
  • Portuguese: decodificar — to convert from an encrypted form to plain text
  • Romanian: decodifica — to convert from an encrypted form to plain text
  • Russian: декоди́ровать (dekodírovatʹ) — to convert from an encrypted form to plain text
  • Russian: раскоди́ровать (raskodírovatʹ) — to convert from an encrypted form to plain text
  • Russian: расшифро́вывать (rasšifróvyvatʹ) — to convert from an encrypted form to plain text
  • Russian: расшифрова́ть (rasšifrovátʹ) — to convert from an encrypted form to plain text
  • Spanish: decodificar — to convert from an encrypted form to plain text
  • Spanish: descodificar — to convert from an encrypted form to plain text
  • Swedish: avkoda — to convert from an encrypted form to plain text
  • Finnish: tulkita — to figure out something difficult to interpret
  • Greek: αποκρυπτογραφώ (apokryptografó) — to figure out something difficult to interpret
  • Portuguese: descodificar — to figure out something difficult to interpret
  • Russian: расшифро́вывать (rasšifróvyvatʹ) — to figure out something difficult to interpret
  • Russian: расшифрова́ть (rasšifrovátʹ) — to figure out something difficult to interpret
  • Russian: переводи́ть (perevodítʹ) — to figure out something difficult to interpret
  • Russian: перевести́ (perevestí) — to figure out something difficult to interpret
  • Spanish: traducir — to figure out something difficult to interpret
  • Ottoman Turkish: اوقومق (okumak) — to figure out something difficult to interpret