Cipher
Cipher verb - To determine (a value) by doing the necessary mathematical operations.
Usage example: were surprised by how much we had spent on the cruise after we had ciphered out the grand total
Figure out and cipher are semantically related In some cases you can use "Figure out" instead a verb "Cipher".
Figure out
Figure out verb - To find an answer for through reasoning.
Mutual synonyms
Both terms in one sentence
- The hitch of the story is, from beginning to end, the kid they pick is such a nondescript cipher that they never figure out anything at all about him.
Source: Dork Horse Candidate -
Splatoon features an extremely weird in-universe language apparently spoken by the Inklings and the Octarians, using completely made-up letters.◊ No one has been able to figure out if it's a cipher or something entirely new.
Source: Con Lang - In the original version, this implied using an alphabetic cipher with A=Z, B=Y, and so on ... which very few players — even the hardened adventure gamers of the day — could figure out without resorting to the official hint book.
Source: Guide Dang It / Adventure
Cite this Source
Figure out and Cipher. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 15, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/cipher/figure_out
Cipher & Figure out. N.p., 2016. Web. 15 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/cipher/figure_out>.
Figure out or Cipher. 2016. Accessed August 15, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/cipher/figure_out.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "cipher" and "figure out" have occurred on timeline