WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
de•cod•er
(dē kō′dər),USA pronunciation n.
- a person who decodes messages or the like.
- Cryptographya device for decoding cryptograms, codes, or the like, as an electric or electronic apparatus that transforms arbitrary input signals into letters, words, etc.
- Nautical, Naval Terms[Navig.]an electronic circuit designed to respond only to certain signals and to reject others.
- Computinga circuit designed to produce a single output when actuated by a certain combination of inputs.
- Radio and Television[Television.]a box attached to a television set containing circuitry to unscramble encoded signals, as cable-television programs or closed captions, so that the signals can be displayed on the screen.
- decode + -er1 1915–20
'decoder' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):