interpret
to construe or understand in a particular way: to interpret a reply as favorable.
to bring out the meaning of (a dramatic work, music, etc.) by performance or execution.
to perform or render (a song, role in a play, etc.) according to one's own understanding or sensitivity: The actor interpreted Lear as a weak, pitiful old man.
to translate orally.
Computers. : See also interpreter (def. 3).
to use an interpreter to transform (a program written in a high-level language) into a sequence of machine actions, one statement at a time, executing each statement immediately before going on to transform the next one.
to read (the patterns of holes in punched cards) with an interpreter, printing the interpreted data on the same cards so that they can be read more conveniently by people.
to translate what is said in a foreign language.
to explain something; give an explanation.
Origin of interpret
1Other words from interpret
- in·ter·pret·a·ble, adjective
- in·ter·pret·a·bil·i·ty, in·ter·pret·a·ble·ness, noun
- in·ter·pret·a·bly, adverb
- non·in·ter·pret·a·bil·i·ty, noun
- non·in·ter·pret·a·ble, adjective
- pre·in·ter·pret, verb (used with object)
- re·in·ter·pret, verb
- self-in·ter·pret·ed, adjective
- self-in·ter·pret·ing, adjective
- un·in·ter·pret·a·ble, adjective
- un·in·ter·pret·ed, adjective
- well-in·ter·pret·ed, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use interpret in a sentence
On top of that, the Premier League has asked the IFAB for permission to start interpreting the handball rule more subjectively.
He noted that Barrett had promised to interpret the law as written and criticized Democrats for questioning her on how she might rule on an Affordable Care Act challenge coming before the high court next month.
Barrett confirmation hearing day three: Barrett declines to say whether it’s wrong to separate migrant children from parents | Derek Hawkins, Seung Min Kim, Ann Marimow, Karoun Demirjian | October 14, 2020 | Washington PostSeizing on those statements, Republican lawmakers proposed legislation interpreting “all terms” to include all financial obligations.
In Florida, the Gutting of a Landmark Law Leaves Few Felons Likely to Vote | by Lawrence Mower and Langston Taylor, Miami Herald and Tampa Bay Times | October 7, 2020 | ProPublica“I don’t interpret it as signing away any special education-related rights,” said Jazmine Gelfand, another special education lawyer.
New Form for Special Ed Students Triggers Parents’ Fears | Will Huntsberry | October 5, 2020 | Voice of San DiegoThe second most important thing is the recommendations section—how to interpret the science for any given situation.
This scientist made a Google Doc to educate the public about airborne coronavirus transmission | Niall Firth | October 2, 2020 | MIT Technology Review
There are other instances when signs lose the quality of interpretability.
The Civilization of Illiteracy | Mihai Nadin
British Dictionary definitions for interpret
/ (ɪnˈtɜːprɪt) /
(tr) to clarify or explain the meaning of; elucidate
(tr) to construe the significance or intention of: to interpret a smile as an invitation
(tr) to convey or represent the spirit or meaning of (a poem, song, etc) in performance
(intr) to act as an interpreter; translate orally
Origin of interpret
1Derived forms of interpret
- interpretable, adjective
- interpretability or interpretableness, noun
- interpretably, adverb
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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