encoded; encoding; encodes
1
a
: to convert (something, such as a body of information) from one system of communication into another
especially
: to convert (a message) into code
b
: to convey symbolically
the capacity of poetry to encode ideology—
J. D. Niles
J. D. Niles2
: to specify the genetic code for
encoder
noun
Examples of encode in a Sentence
Credit cards are encoded with cardholder information.
a technology that encodes images
Recent Examples on the Web
This new round of data is for a vaccine that delivers strands of mRNA — the same material used in the COVID vaccines — encoding the recipes for a long list of proteins specific to a patient’s tumor.
—Lisa Jarvis, Twin Cities, 9 Mar. 2025
The equation no longer corresponds to a Turing machine that computes perfect squares—and, more generally, the Diophantine equations can no longer encode the halting problem.
—Joseph Howlett, WIRED, 9 Mar. 2025
His ritual of hosting a Monday night supper of red beans and rice, cornbread and nothing more than whiskey for dessert was, for those of us who knew him, encoded in our NOLA experience.
—Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 1 Feb. 2025
For safety’s sake, the details are hard to search for—encoded in physical artifacts only a human could decrypt.
—Mark Athitakis, The Atlantic, 30 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for encode
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Lisa Jarvis, Twin Cities, 9 Mar. 2025
The equation no longer corresponds to a Turing machine that computes perfect squares—and, more generally, the Diophantine equations can no longer encode the halting problem.
—Joseph Howlett, WIRED, 9 Mar. 2025
His ritual of hosting a Monday night supper of red beans and rice, cornbread and nothing more than whiskey for dessert was, for those of us who knew him, encoded in our NOLA experience.
—Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 1 Feb. 2025
For safety’s sake, the details are hard to search for—encoded in physical artifacts only a human could decrypt.
—Mark Athitakis, The Atlantic, 30 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for encode
Cite this Entry
“Encode.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/encode. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
encode
verb
en·code
in-ˈkōd 
en-
: to change (as a body of information) from one system of communication into another
especially
: to change (a message) into code
encoder
noun
Medical Definition
encode
transitive verb
en·code
in-ˈkōd, en-
encoded; encoding
: to specify the genetic code for
each nucleotide triplet or codon on the mRNA chain encodes a specific amino acid—J. E. Darnell, Jr.
J. E. Darnell, Jr.Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
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