interpret

/ɪnˈtʌrprət/

/ɪnˈtʌprɪt/

Other forms: interpreted; interpreting; interprets

When you interpret something, you make sense of it. You could interpret a graph, a foreign language, or even Mona Lisa's odd smile.

If you're ordering food in a foreign land, you may need someone to interpret the menu for you. When you get tripped up or struggle to understand a subject even in your own language — like calculus, for example — sometimes you can find meaning, or interpret it for yourself. Or sometimes you'll need a teacher to work on the problem with you, showing how to interpret the mathematical language.

Definitions of interpret

1. verb

   make sense of; assign a meaning to
   “How do you interpret his behavior?”

   synonyms: construe, see

   consider, reckon, regard, see, view

   deem to be

   types:

   be amiss, misapprehend, misconceive, misconstrue, misinterpret, misunderstand

   interpret in the wrong way

   read between the lines

   understand what is implied but not expressed on the surface

   mythicise, mythicize

   interpret as a myth or in terms of mythology

   literalise, literalize

   make literal

   spiritualise, spiritualize

   give a spiritual meaning to; read in a spiritual sense

   reinterpret

   assign a new or different meaning to

   allegorise, allegorize

   interpret as an allegory

   read, take

   interpret something in a certain way; convey a particular meaning or impression

   read

   interpret something that is written or printed

   read, scan

   obtain data from magnetic tapes

   draw out, educe, elicit, evoke, extract

   deduce (a principle) or construe (a meaning)

   misinterpret, misread

   interpret wrongly

   anagram, anagrammatise, anagrammatize

   read letters out of order to discover a hidden meaning

   reread

   read anew; read again

   dip into

   read selectively; read only certain passages from a text

   decipher, trace

   read with difficulty

   misread

   read or interpret wrongly

   skim, skim over

   read superficially

   lip-read, lipread, speech-read

   interpret by lipreading; of deaf people

   type of:

   understand

   know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
2. verb

   make sense of a language
   synonyms: read, translate, understand

   type of:

   understand

   know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
3. verb

   give an interpretation or explanation to
   synonyms: rede

   types:

   moralise, moralize

   interpret the moral meaning of

   deconstruct

   interpret (a text or an artwork) by the method of deconstructing

   re-explain, reinterpret

   interpret from a different viewpoint

   commentate

   serve as a commentator, as in sportscasting

   misinterpret

   interpret falsely

   annotate, comment, gloss

   provide interlinear explanations for words or phrases

   commentate

   make a commentary on

   type of:

   explain, explicate

   make plain and comprehensible
4. verb

   give an interpretation or rendition of
   synonyms: render

   types:

   sing

   deliver by singing

   solmizate

   sing by the syllables of solmization

   troll

   sing the parts of (a round) in succession

   hymn

   sing a hymn

   carol

   sing carols

   madrigal

   sing madrigals

   type of:

   do, execute, perform

   carry out or perform an action
5. verb

   restate (words) from one language into another language
   “Can you interpret the speech of the visiting dignitaries?”

   synonyms: render, translate

   translate

   be translatable, or be translatable in a certain way

   types:

   retranslate

   translate again

   mistranslate

   translate incorrectly

   gloss

   provide an interlinear translation of a word or phrase

   Latinise, Latinize

   translate into Latin

   type of:

   ingeminate, iterate, reiterate, repeat, restate, retell

   to say, state, or perform again
6. verb

   create an image or likeness of
   synonyms: represent

   types:

   carnalise, carnalize, sensualise, sensualize

   represent materialistically, as in a painting or a sculpture

   silhouette

   represent by a silhouette

   animalise, animalize

   represent in the form of an animal

   profile

   represent in profile, by drawing or painting

   paint

   make a painting of

   capture

   succeed in representing or expressing something intangible

   depict, picture, render, show

   show in, or as in, a picture

   conventionalize, stylise, stylize

   represent according to a conventional style

   map

   make a map of; show or establish the features of details of

   depict, limn, portray

   make a portrait of

   portray, present

   represent abstractly, for example in a painting, drawing, or sculpture

   draw

   represent by making a drawing of, as with a pencil, chalk, etc. on a surface

   mock up, model

   construct a model of

   chart, graph

   represent by means of a graph

   chart

   make a chart of

   plat, plot

   make a plat of

   repaint

   paint again

   recapture

   take up anew

   illustrate

   depict with an illustration

   map

   depict as if on a map

   pencil

   write, draw, or trace with a pencil

   commend

   present as worthy of regard, kindness, or confidence

   delineate, limn, outline

   trace the shape of

   rule

   mark or draw with a ruler

   chalk

   write, draw, or trace with chalk

   project

   draw a projection of

   crayon

   write, draw, or trace with a crayon

   check, checker, chequer

   mark into squares or draw squares on; draw crossed lines on

   charcoal

   draw, trace, or represent with charcoal

   doodle

   make a doodle; draw aimlessly

   diagram, plot

   make a schematic or technical drawing of that shows interactions among variables or how something is constructed

   cartoon

   draw cartoons of

   fill in, shade

   represent the effect of shade or shadow on

   chalk out, sketch

   make a sketch of

   type of:

   re-create

   create anew