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interpret

[in-tur-prit] / ɪnˈtɜr prɪt /


Usage

What are other ways to say interpret? To interpret is to give the meaning of something by paraphrase, by translation, or by an explanation based on personal opinion: to interpret a poem or a symbol. To expound is to give a methodical, detailed, scholarly explanation of something, usually Scriptures, doctrines, or philosophy: to expound the doctrine of free will. To explain is to make plain, clear, or intelligible something that is not known or understood: to explain a theory or a problem. To elucidate is to throw light on what before was dark and obscure, usually by illustration and commentary and sometimes by elaborate explanation: They asked him to elucidate his statement. 

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.

See Examples For:

He’s malleable and clueless about a lot of things, including whether it’s appropriate to interpret a female colleague’s nervous vomiting as an indicator that she’s pregnant.

From Salon ● Oct. 22, 2026

The incident highlights the difficulties companies can still face when using AI to speed up or simplify work processes, especially when it is used to interpret words in a specific context.

From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026

Many people incorrectly interpret the width of the cone as an indication of a storm's physical size, rather than understanding what the graphic is intended to communicate about the uncertainty in its projected track.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 20, 2026

Once they started shooting, Fielder said he and Oppenheim were compelled by details they couldn’t interpret.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

Mr. Kapasi felt insulted that Mrs. Das should ask him to interpret her common, trivial little secret.

From "Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri

Perceptual inference refers to the way the brain interprets sensory information and updates its expectations in response.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 19, 2026

What those commitments are - and how Iran interprets them - will help determine whether this deal sticks.

From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2026

The garment interprets the artwork, which may or may not have inspired the garment’s design.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 9, 2026

Saylor was keen to point out “systemically important banks like Morgan Stanley and Citi, all with intent to integrate bitcoin into their operations,” which he interprets as an “embrace of bitcoin as a creditworthy instrument.”

From MarketWatch ● May 6, 2026

But they also light up when the brain interprets something as pleasurable, even if the behavior doesn’t appear to have the survival value of, say, eating or procreating.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel

A different set of fundamental dimensions could encourage researchers to reconsider how some of those findings are interpreted.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 24, 2026

While previous research has shown that gestures and vocal cues influence how speech is interpreted, much less has been known about how facial movements affect perceptions of confidence.

From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026

The circumstances surrounding the release of “Toxicity” became even more surreal one week later, when the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks changed the country and altered the way some listeners interpreted the album.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026

"At the same time, the warning could be interpreted as stopping short of completely foreclosing inter-Korean dialogue: essentially telling Seoul not to interfere unless it has something substantial to offer."

From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026

My attempts were so shaky, so misshapen, so ugly, it looked like I’d interpreted running writing to mean writing done while running in a race.

From "Ugly" by Robert Hoge

This could help explain why people sometimes repeat harmful patterns in relationships or continue interpreting situations negatively despite evidence that challenges their assumptions.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 19, 2026

Pène du Bois became deeply attached to Hopper and wrote some selfless essays interpreting and defending Hopper’s art.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

Alan Mandell, an award-winning actor, arts patron and arts administrator, was best known for co-founding the San Quentin Drama Workshop and interpreting the plays of Samuel Beckett.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026

"Accept that their facial expression may mean anything, and distract yourself internally from interpreting these facial expressions."

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026

As you will gather from this, measuring earthquakes is not always an exact science, particularly when interpreting readings from remote locations.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson


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