cipher

noun, often attributive ci·pher \ ˈsī-fər \

Updated on: 1 Dec 2017

Definition of cipher

1 a : zero 1a

b : one that has no weight, worth, or influence : nonentity

She was nothing more than a cipher.

2 a : a method of transforming a text in order to conceal its meaning

secret communications written in cipher

— compare code 3b

b : a message in code

The cipher cannot be decoded without the key.

3 : arabic numeral

4 : a combination of symbolic letters; especially : the interwoven initials of a name

coins that bore the cipher of the sultan

See cipher defined for English-language learners

See cipher defined for kids

Examples of cipher in a Sentence

a cipher that can't be decoded
She was nothing more than a cipher.

Recent Examples of cipher from the Web

His team was tasked with cracking messages sent using Enigma, the cipher tool used for communication by the Nazis and other Axis powers.

— manisha ganguly, CNN, "Code-breaker Alan Turing told off by teachers in school report cards," 23 Oct. 2017
Kim’s Chan-tae never really gets to rise above cipher status and do more than shed a few single man tears.

— elizabeth kerr, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Butterfly Sleep': Film Review | Busan 2017," 23 Oct. 2017
Pinn is a tragic cipher who acquired some posthumous substance in his online reincarnation.

— tunku varadarajan, WSJ, "Review: Lost and Found in Cyberspace," 22 Oct. 2017
But Debbie remains a cipher and, increasingly, serves as little more than a needy obstacle in Ford’s path to further enlightenment.

— richard lawson, vanityfair.com, "Mindhunter Review: An Appealingly Repulsing Serial Killer Study," 17 Oct. 2017
But Debbie remains a cipher and, increasingly, serves as little more than a needy obstacle in Ford’s path to further enlightenment.

— richard lawson, HWD, "Mindhunter Review: An Appealingly Repulsing Serial Killer Study," 17 Oct. 2017
Among them: a World War II-era electro-mechanical cipher machine with Japanese characters that the Germans produced to share with their Asian ally.

— Sun-Sentinel.com, "Spy artifacts from Boca businessman's collection donated to museum," 15 Sep. 2017
Nazi security office codebreakers went to work and broke the cipher.

— marc wortman, Smithsonian, "The Fake British Radio Show That Helped Defeat the Nazis," 28 Feb. 2017
Citing, among many other proofs, the intercepted Zimmermann Telegram as one of the factors that contributed to America’s decision to enter World War I, David Kahn maintains that codes and ciphers have played a decisive role in world events.

— WSJ, "Five Best: Joe Navarro," 1 Sep. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cipher.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of cipher

Middle English, from Medieval Latin cifra, from Arabic ṣifr empty, cipher, zero

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

cipher Synonyms

Synonyms

aught, zero, goose egg, naught (also nought), nil, nothing, o, oh, zilch, zip

Antonyms

big shot, big wheel, bigwig, eminence, figure, kahuna, kingpin, magnate, nabob, personage, somebody, VIP

Related Words

blank, void

Near Antonyms

chief, head, lead, leader; celebrity, luminary, notable, personality, planet, star, superstar; authority, superior; great power, party, power

cipher

verb

Definition of cipher

ciphered; ciphering play \-f(ə-)riŋ\

intransitive verb

: to use figures in a mathematical process

all children should learn to read, write, and cipher
—M. Pattison

transitive verb

1 : encipher

ciphered the letters that passed between the two heads of state

2 : to compute arithmetically

ciphered out the sum in his head

Examples of cipher in a Sentence

were surprised by how much we had spent on the cruise after we had ciphered out the grand total

Recent Examples of cipher from the Web

These remnants, signals from an earlier phase of our human condition, have been endlessly ciphered by generations of archaeologists in the Bears Ears region (which is named for twin buttes near its center).

— stephen nash, New York Times, "At Bears Ears in Utah, Heated Politics and Precious Ruins," 25 July 2017