Break
Break verb - To change (as a secret message) from code into ordinary language.
Usage example: Alan Turing and the Bletchley Park mathematicians broke the Enigma code being used by the Nazis
Decipher is a synonym for break in knowledge topic. In some cases you can use "Decipher" instead a verb "Break", when it comes to topics like decode.
Decipher
Decipher verb - To change (as a secret message) from code into ordinary language.
Usage example: we deciphered the hidden message to find out when we were supposed to meet
Break is a synonym for decipher in knowledge topic. You can use "Break" instead a verb "Decipher", if it concerns topics such as decode, figure out.
Mutual synonyms
Common collocations
Both words in one sentence
- Before he could break the bad news, someone had decided to promote the single with a competition to decipher the lyrics.
Source: Word Salad Lyrics -
When trying to decipher a code from Scar's brother's notes, the group takes a break to reassemble Al who is in pieces, like a puzzle.
Source: Eureka Moment -
The entire first season of Prison Break is about how Michael Scofield breaks his brother out of prison using things from within the prison (well, and things he's prepared beforehand, with notes handily tattooed all over him in a form only he can decipher).
Cite this Source
Decipher and Break. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 14, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/break/decipher
Break & Decipher. N.p., 2016. Web. 14 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/break/decipher>.
Decipher or Break. 2016. Accessed August 14, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/break/decipher.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "break" and "decipher" have occurred on timeline