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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
Alex Abad-Santos, Vox, 10 Mar. 2025
All the actors make assertive impressions that can nonetheless only go so far in delineating figures who remain basically ciphers.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 17 Feb. 2025
Stephen Nash, New York Times, 25 July 2017
See All Example Sentences for cipher
Noun
Since his first appearance in season one, though, Greg has been more than a bit of a cipher.
—Alex Abad-Santos, Vox, 10 Mar. 2025
All the actors make assertive impressions that can nonetheless only go so far in delineating figures who remain basically ciphers.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 17 Feb. 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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While some men are jumping on board, the most popular of these creators—which range from nobodies doing voiceovers to far-right provocateurs like Candance Owens and Megyn Kelly—are women speaking to other women.—
Stephanie McNeal,
Glamour,
14 Mar. 2025
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Those free passes were a frequent abuse of the law in the past, and low-profile corporate nobodies got away with them for years.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Without the freedom to experiment, fail and figure things out the hard way, the products, software, and systems that are normative in our day-to-day experience would have never come into existence.—
Colleen Batchelder,
Forbes.com,
18 Apr. 2025
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The Michigan product doesn't ever figure to be much of a force as a pass-rusher, though, and teams may not want to invest a first-round pick on a one-dimensional player.—
Bryce Lazenby,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Unlike classical computing, which processes information through bits that can exist in either zeros or ones, quantum computing is an evolving field where quantum bits (or qubits) can occupy both zero and one in a single unit.—
Rachel Curry,
CNBC,
6 Apr. 2025
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Ray and Reds starter Nick Martinez opened the afternoon with four perfect innings each, trading zeros as the game progressed at a rapid pace.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
30 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Emperor tamarins are dwarf monkeys with whiskers that resemble a white moustache.—
Robert Higgs,
cleveland,
1 Feb. 2023
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The dwarf variety grows to be about 5 to 7 feet, ideal for a small garden or accent in a room with limited space.—
Bryce Jones,
Better Homes & Gardens,
24 Jan. 2023
Verb
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The reciprocal rates, which aren’t exactly reciprocal, were calculated by dividing a country’s trade deficit with the US by its exports to the country and multiplying by 1/2.—
Elisabeth Buchwald,
CNN Money,
9 Apr. 2025
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Opta’s Premier League Predictor, which projects the final standings by simulating the remaining games thousands of times to calculate an average outcome, gives Brighton a 17.3 per cent chance of finishing seventh or higher.—
Andy Naylor,
New York Times,
9 Apr. 2025
Noun
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After knocking out Charles Jourdain in late June, the 27-year-old moved up to lightweight to face hard-hitting Drew Dober on the main card of UFC Denver.—
Trent Reinsmith,
Forbes.com,
12 Apr. 2025
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These lightweight, unisex glasses come in four different shades and provide polarization as well as 100 percent UVA and UVB protection.—
Jillian Dara,
Travel + Leisure,
9 Apr. 2025
Verb
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But only organizations with a strong advantage in computing power, advanced algorithms or massive datasets will dominate AI infrastructure.—
Brandon Wang,
Forbes.com,
9 Apr. 2025
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But that can be ignored, because the USTR has set ε at 4 and φ at 0.25, so when computed give an overall multiplier of 1 for the imports number.—
Felix Salmon,
Axios,
3 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cipher.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cipher. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.
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