Word forms: 3rd person singular presenttense interprets, present participle interpreting, past tense, past participle interpreted
1. verb
If you interpret something in a particular way, you decide that this is its meaning or significance.
The whole speech might well be interpreted as a coded message to the Americans. [beVERB-ed + as]
The judge quite rightly says that he has to interpret the law as it's been passed. [VERB noun]
Both approaches agree on what is depicted in the poem, but not on how it should beinterpreted. [beVERB-ed]
Synonyms: explain, define, clarify, spell out More Synonyms of interpret
2. verb
If you interpret what someone is saying, you translate it immediately into another language.
The chambermaid spoke little English, so her husband came with her to interpret. [VERB]
Interpreters found they could not interpret half of what he said. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: translate, convert, paraphrase, adapt More Synonyms of interpret
More Synonyms of interpret
interpret in British English
(ɪnˈtɜːprɪt)
verb
1. (transitive)
to clarify or explain the meaning of; elucidate
2. (transitive)
to construe the significance or intention of
to interpret a smile as an invitation
3. (transitive)
to convey or represent the spirit or meaning of (a poem, song, etc) in performance
4. (intransitive)
to act as an interpreter; translate orally
Derived forms
interpretable (inˈterpretable)
adjective
interpretability (inˌterpretaˈbility) or interpretableness (inˈterpretableness)
noun
interpretably (inˈterpretably)
adverb
Word origin
C14: from Latin interpretārī, from interpres negotiator, one who explains, from inter- + -pres, probably related to pretiumprice
interpret in American English
(ɪnˈtɜrprət)
verb transitive
1.
to explain the meaning of; make understandable
to interpret a poem
2.
to translate (esp. oral remarks)
3.
to have or show one's own understanding of the meaning of; construe
to interpret a silence as contempt
4.
to bring out the meaning of; esp., to give one's own conception of (a work of art), as in performance or criticism
5.
to translate (a program in a high-level language) into machine language and execute it, statement by statement
said of an interpreter program
verb intransitive
6.
to act as an interpreter; explain or translate
SIMILAR WORDS: exˈplain
Derived forms
interpretable (inˈterpretable)
adjective
Word origin
ME interpreten < MFr intepréter < L interpretari < interpres, agent between two parties, broker, interpreter
Examples of 'interpret' in a sentence
interpret
Your new love can interpret the meaning of dreams.
The Sun (2016)
And those laws will be interpreted by judges not in Luxembourg but in courts across this country.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
The answer to the first question depends very much on how the concept of meaning is interpreted.
Walklate, Sandra Victimology - the victim and the criminal justice process (1989)
How do they interpret the meanings of particular social interactions?
Appelbaum, Richard P. Sociology (1995)
The present controversy swirls around how to interpret or explain this difference.
Bee, Helen The Developing Child (7th edn.) (1995)
What if some of our own judges interpret the law according to their political prejudices too?
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
This would also mean powers for judges to interpret a written constitution.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
The problem is how judges interpret it.
The Sun (2011)
The intelligence picture must be expertly interpreted and then acted upon.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
He therefore excluded any hint of any emotion that could have been interpreted by his judges as irrational.
Julia Keay ALEXANDER THE CORRECTOR (2004)
And often people interpret its meaning as simply taking good care of what we have or being frugal with money.
Christianity Today (2000)
Another question is who collects, interprets and acts on this data?
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
The judge was interpreting the European Convention but with a ridiculous result.
The Sun (2006)
He blamed judges for wrongly interpreting Human Rights laws that stop foreign terror suspects from being deported.
The Sun (2006)
And how should he interpret the meaning of the red hat of the cardinal or the Red Cross?
Abercrombie, Stanley A Philosophy of Interior Design (1990)
In fact, the media often present contradictory information, and audiences are frequently engaged in interpreting the meaning of the information they receive.
Appelbaum, Richard P. Sociology (1995)
In other languages
interpret
British English: interpret /ɪnˈtɜːprɪt/ VERB
If you interpret something in a particular way, you decide that this is its meaning or significance.
I interpreted her look as a sign she didn't approve.
American English: interpret
Arabic: يُفَسِّرُ
Brazilian Portuguese: interpretar
Chinese: 翻译
Croatian: tumačiti
Czech: vyložit vysvětlit
Danish: fortolke
Dutch: interpreteren
European Spanish: interpretar
Finnish: tulkita
French: interpréter
German: interpretieren
Greek: ερμηνεύω
Italian: interpretare
Japanese: 解釈する
Korean: 해석하다
Norwegian: tolke
Polish: zinterpretować
European Portuguese: interpretar
Romanian: a interpreta
Russian: толковать
Latin American Spanish: interpretar
Swedish: tolka
Thai: แปล
Turkish: yorumlamak
Ukrainian: перекладати
Vietnamese: giải thích
Chinese translation of 'interpret'
interpret
(ɪnˈtəːprɪt)
vt
(= explain)
[message, poem]把 ... 理解为(為) (bǎ ... lǐjiě wéi)
[behaviour, statement]阐(闡)释(釋) (chǎnshì)
(= translate) 口译(譯) (kǒuyì)
vi
(= translate) 口译(譯) (kǒuyì)
to interpret sth as sth把某事理解为(為)某事 (bǎ mǒushì lǐjiě wéi mǒushì)
1 (verb)
Definition
to work out the significance of
The speech might be interpreted as a coded message.
Synonyms
take
They've turned sensible, if you take my meaning.
understand
read
Now how do you read his remarks on that subject?
explain
regard
construe
He may construe your approach as a hostile act.
2 (verb)
Definition
to act as an interpreter
She spoke little English, so I interpreted for her.
Synonyms
translate
Only a small number of his books have been translated into English.
convert
By converting the loft, they were able to have two extra bedrooms.
paraphrase
Baxter paraphrased the contents of the press release.
adapt
Shelves were built to adapt the library for use as an office.
transliterate
3 (verb)
Definition
to explain the meaning of
The judge has to interpret the law as it's being passed.
Synonyms
explain
He explained the process to us in simple terms.
define
How exactly do you define reasonable behaviour?
clarify
A bank spokesman was unable to clarify the situation.
spell out
make sense of
decode
You don't need to be a genius to decode his work.
decipher
expound
Schmidt continued to expound his theories on economics.
elucidate
He refused to elucidate the reasons for his decision.
throw light on
explicate (formal)
scholars who seek to explicate religious texts
4 (verb)
The pictures are often difficult to interpret.
Synonyms
understand
read
explain
crack
He has finally cracked the code after years of painstaking research.
solve
Their domestic reforms did nothing to solve unemployment.
figure out (informal)
comprehend
I just cannot comprehend your attitude.
decode
The secret documents were intercepted and decoded.
deduce
She hoped he hadn't deduced the reason for her visit.
decipher
I can't decipher these notes.
suss out (slang)
If you can't suss out the codes, you won't be seen as part of the team.
5 (verb)
Definition
to convey the meaning of (a poem, song, etc.) in performance
Shakespeare, marvellously interpreted by Orson Welles
Synonyms
portray
the landscape as portrayed by painters such as Poussin
present
He was presented as a tragic figure.
perform
students performing Shakespeare's Macbeth
render
a powerful, bizarre, and beautifully rendered story
depict
a gallery of pictures depicting famous battles
enact
She enacted the stories told to her by her father.
act out
Additional synonyms
in the sense of adapt
Definition
to change something to suit a new purpose
Shelves were built to adapt the library for use as an office.
Synonyms
convert,
change,
prepare,
fit,
fashion,
make,
shape,
suit,
qualify,
transform,
alter,
modify,
tailor,
remodel,
tweak (informal),
metamorphose,
customize
in the sense of clarify
Definition
to make or become clear or easy to understand
A bank spokesman was unable to clarify the situation.