cipher

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Some refer to her as the “Manchurian candidate,” said John Hart, a communication professor at Hawaii Pacific University, referring to the malleable cipher in the famous political thriller.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 4, 2026

Gabriel could have come across as a mere cipher in this environment, a faceless spook navigating smoke and mirrors.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 12, 2025

The Cybertruck has become a cipher for this injustice.

From Slate • Jun. 22, 2025

That conversation comes up in “Twin Peaks: The Return” as Lynch flat-out confirms Laura Palmer to be a cipher for unyielding good, intended to restore universal balance after humankind developed a new capacity for evil.

From Salon • Jan. 25, 2025

This meant that each cipher was based on an ordinary book—one that the sender and receiver both owned.

From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield