unscramble

[ uhn-skram-buhl ]
See synonyms for unscramble on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object),un·scram·bled, un·scram·bling.
  1. to bring out of a scrambled condition; reduce to order or intelligibility.

  2. Also descramble. to make (a scrambled radio or telephonic message) comprehensible by systematically tuning the receiver to the frequencies used in transmission.: Compare decode (def. 2).

Origin of unscramble

1
First recorded in 1915–20; un-2 + scramble

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use unscramble in a sentence

  • Hoddan let the confusion mount past any unscrambling, and then slid down the tree and joined in the rush.

    The Pirates of Ersatz | Murray Leinster
  • Pressure from the Mine Owners' Association finally brought about a referendum on the question of unscrambling.

    The I.W.W. | Paul Frederick Brissenden

British Dictionary definitions for unscramble

unscramble

/ (ʌnˈskræmbəl) /


verb(tr)
  1. to resolve from confusion or disorderliness

  2. to restore (a scrambled message) to an intelligible form

Derived forms of unscramble

  • unscrambler, noun

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