interpret
UK/ɪnˈtɜː.pɹɪt//ɪnˈtɝ.pɹɪt/
interpret verb: to decode the meaning of a topic and then act, whether to continue researching the topic, follow through, act in opposition, or further the understanding through sharing an interpretation.
Verb
interpret (third-person singular simple present interprets, present participle interpreting, simple past and past participle interpreted)
- To decode the meaning of a topic and then act, whether to continue researching the topic, follow through, act in opposition, or further the understanding through sharing an interpretation.
- Synonyms:
- take, understand, construe
- To explain or tell the meaning of; to translate orally into intelligible or familiar language or terms. applied especially to language, but also to dreams, signs, conduct, mysteries, etc.
- to interpret an Indian speech
- The Holy Bible, Matthew i. 23.
Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
- To apprehend and represent by means of art; to show by illustrative representation.
- The actor interpreted the character of Hamlet with great skill.
- The way the musician interpreted a sonata was quite special.
- To convey what a user of one language is saying or signing, in real time or shortly after that person has finished communicating, to a user of a different language.
- He interpreted at the meeting between the Chinese and French associates.
- To analyse or execute (a program) by reading the instructions as they are encountered, rather than compiling in advance.
interpret meaning in Hindi, Marathi, Urdu and Bengali
interpret in Hindi
- to explain or tell the meaning of
- निर्वचन करना nirvacan karnā, अर्थ लगाना arth lagānā
interpret in Marathi
- अर्थ लावणे
interpret in Urdu
- تعبیر کرنا, تفسیر کرنا, ترجمہ کرنا, تشریح کرنا
interpret in Bengali
- ব্যাখ্যা করা, অর্থ বুঝিয়ে দেওয়া, অনুবাদ করা
More languagesFewer languages
- interpret in Malayalam
- വ്യാഖ്യാനിക്കുക, അർത്ഥം പറയുക, വിശദീകരിക്കുക, ആവിഷ്കരിക്കുക
- interpret in Kannada
- ದುಭಾಷಿಯಾಗಿ ವರ್ತಿಸು, ಭಾಷಾಂತರಿಸಿ ಹೇಳು, ಅರ್ಥವಿವರಣೆ ಮಾಡು, ಅರ್ಥ ಹೇಳು
- interpret in Gujarati
- અર્થઘટન કરવું, અર્થઘટન કરવા
- interpret in Arabic
- فَسَّرَ fassara, أَوَّلَ ʔawwala
- interpret in Indonesian
- mengartikan, menafsirkan
- interpret in Thai
- ตีความ dtii-kwaam, แปล bplɛɛ
- interpret in Vietnamese
- diễn giải, dịch
Examples of interpret in a sentence
- The report was riddled with so much corporate doublespeak that it was impossible to interpret.
- How the stock market interprets events has real consequences.
- The courts interpret the law but should not make it.
Synonyms of interpret
Forms of interpret
| third-person singular present | interprets |
|---|---|
| present participle | interpreting |
| past participle | interpreted |
| past | interpreted |
Origin of interpret
From Middle English interpreten, from Old French enterpreter, (French interpréter), from Latin interpretor (“to explain, expound, interpret”), past participle interpretatus, from interpres (“an agent, broker, explainer, interpreter, negotiator”), from inter (“between”) + -pres, probably the root of pretium (“price”); -pres is probably connected with Ancient Greek φράζειν (phrázein, “to point out, show, explain, declare, speak”), from which φραδή (phradḗ, “understanding”), φράσις (phrásis, “speech”); see phrase.
Words formed from interpret
Questions about interpret
- What does interpret mean?
- Interpret means to decode the meaning of a topic and then act, whether to continue researching the topic, follow through, act in opposition, or further the understanding through sharing an interpretation.
- What is interpret in Hindi?
- Interpret in Hindi is निर्वचन करना (nirvacan karnā), अर्थ लगाना (arth lagānā). See Interpret meaning in Hindi.
- What part of speech is interpret?
- Interpret is a verb.
- How do you pronounce interpret?
- Interpret is pronounced /ɪnˈtɜː.pɹɪt/ (UK).
- What is the past tense of interpret?
- The past tense of interpret is interpreted.
Words near interpret in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: interpret (page history and authors); interpret (Marathi, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); interpret (Urdu Wiktionary) (page history and authors); Interpret (Bengali Wiktionary) (page history and authors); interpret (Malayalam Wiktionary) (page history and authors); interpret (Kannada Wiktionary) (page history and authors); interpret (Gujarati, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: En-us-interpret.ogg.
Cite this entry: “interpret.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/interpret. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.