Meaning of the word cipher in English

What does cipher mean in English? Explore the meaning, pronunciation, and specific usage of this word with Lingoland.

cipher

US /ˈsaɪ.fɚ/
UK /ˈsaɪ.fər/

Noun

1.

a secret way of writing, especially one in which a set of letters or symbols is used to represent others

Example:
The message was written in an unbreakable cipher.
He spent hours trying to crack the ancient cipher.
2.

a person or thing of no importance

Example:
He felt like a mere cipher in the vast organization.
Despite his title, he was a political cipher.

Verb

to put (a message) into secret writing; encode

Example:
The spy had to cipher the message before sending it.
Can you cipher this document for me?
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