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as in nobody
a person of no importance or influence
it was either write the Great American Novel or be consigned to the status of a cipher in the annals of literature
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to figure
to determine (a value) by doing the necessary mathematical operations
were surprised by how much we had spent on the cruise after we had ciphered out the grand total
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of cipher
David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 17 May 2025
If Belinda’s lightning-fast transformation is a cipher for Mike White’s thoughts on the corrosive power of money, then perhaps Laurie’s emotional speech comes closest to explaining how a good life could be oriented.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 7 Apr. 2025
Stephen Nash, New York Times, 25 July 2017
See All Example Sentences for cipher
Noun
In the hands of a lesser actor and director, Laura might have been a frustrating cipher.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 17 May 2025
If Belinda’s lightning-fast transformation is a cipher for Mike White’s thoughts on the corrosive power of money, then perhaps Laurie’s emotional speech comes closest to explaining how a good life could be oriented.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 7 Apr. 2025
Verb
These remnants, signals from an earlier phase of our human condition, have been endlessly ciphered by generations of archaeologists in the Bears Ears region (which is named for twin buttes near its center).
—Stephen Nash, New York Times, 25 July 2017
See All Example Sentences for cipher
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cipher
Noun
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My memoir was built of gaps, juxtaposition, weird little nothings.—
Cheri Lucas Rowlands,
Longreads,
16 Dec. 2024
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The one whose legs turned nothings into somethings, improvising the Lions’ entire defensive game plan into a pile of ash?—
Sean Keeler,
The Denver Post,
10 Feb. 2024
Noun
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None of these nobodies is performing like Grimes just yet, and until someone does Grier better get active trying to find a handful of veteran cornerbacks whom this team can call on, and sign to patch up the weakest unit on the team.—
Omar Kelly,
Miami Herald,
30 May 2025
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And maybe that’s a metaphor for the way a lot of middle-class nobodies feel.—
Abigail Lee,
Variety,
13 May 2025
Verb
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Manager Aaron Boone, however, figured that hitting bombs against his former team must have felt nice for Bellinger.—
Brendan Kuty,
New York Times,
12 July 2025
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And as long as Pancho Villa was selling tortillas, Trevor Boney figured, there was no urgency.—
Roxana Popescu,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
11 July 2025
Noun
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The multiday wedding celebration, set against the backdrop of a historic city and reportedly costing up to $56 million, will host around 200 guests ‒ each boasting a net worth with more zeroes than most can only dream of.—
Carlie Procell,
USA Today,
28 June 2025
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Brown pitched well and tossed up zeroes through the first three innings Monday against the St. Louis Cardinals.—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
25 June 2025
Noun
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Tell me a little bit about the technical side of filming a dwarf and an elf together.—
Devan Coggan,
EW.com,
13 Oct. 2022
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Other new characters include Disa, the first female dwarf ever shown in the Lord of the Rings series.—
Ethan Millman,
Rolling Stone,
22 July 2022
Verb
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Public fortunes were calculated based on stock prices and exchange rates as on June 13.—
Phisanu Phromchanya,
Forbes.com,
2 July 2025
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That’s partly because the budget wasn’t released, and because DeSantis — who has seen the state budget balloon by 26% on his watch — used some creative accounting to calculate the total.—
Lawrence Mower,
Miami Herald,
1 July 2025
Noun
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Shoppers can’t stop raving about this lightweight yet nourishing moisturizer.—
Clara McMahon,
People.com,
8 July 2025
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The low-profile design makes the vacuum lightweight and easy to maneuver.—
Christopher Murray
may earn a commission if you buy through our referral links. This content was created by a team that works independently from the Fox newsroom.,
FOXNews.com,
1 July 2025
Verb
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Her creation involved everything from sound engineering and text-to-speech software to AI computing servers.—
Faye Bradley,
Variety,
4 July 2025
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In calculating prescription drug price comparisons, simply computing the differences between prices isn’t sufficient.—
Joshua P. Cohen,
Forbes.com,
3 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cipher.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cipher. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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