Interpret
[ɪn'tɜːprɪt] or [ɪn'tɝprɪt]
Definition
(verb.) make sense of; assign a meaning to; 'What message do you see in this letter?'; 'How do you interpret his behavior?'.
(verb.) give an interpretation or rendition of; 'The pianist rendered the Beethoven sonata beautifully'.
Edited by Kathleen--From WordNet
Definition
(v. t.) To explain or tell the meaning of; to expound; to translate orally into intelligible or familiar language or terms; to decipher; to define; -- applied esp. to language, but also to dreams, signs, conduct, mysteries, etc.; as, to interpret the Hebrew language to an Englishman; to interpret an Indian speech.
(v. t.) To apprehend and represent by means of art; to show by illustrative representation; as, an actor interprets the character of Hamlet; a musician interprets a sonata; an artist interprets a landscape.
(v. i.) To act as an interpreter.
Checker: Sondra
Synonyms and Synonymous
v. a. [1]. Explain, expound, decipher, elucidate, unfold, define, make out, make clear, explain the meaning of.[2]. Construe, translate, render.
Checked by Cordelia
Synonyms and Antonyms
SYN:Translate, render, construe, explain, expound, expone, represent, declare,understand, elucidate, decipher, solve
ANT:Misinterpret, misunderstand, mistake, misconceive, falsify, distort,misdeclare, misrepresent
Typist: Sol
Definition
v.t. to explain the meaning of to elucidate unfold show the purport of: to translate into intelligible or familiar terms.—v.i. to practise interpretation.—adj. Inter′pretable capable of being explained.—n. Interpretā′tion act of interpreting: the sense given by an interpreter: the power of explaining: the representation of a dramatic part according to one's conception of it.—adj. Interpretā′tive collected by or containing interpretation.—adv. Inter′pretātively.—n. Inter′preter one who explains between two parties: an expounder: a translator.
Typed by Judy
Examples
- I have heard professors reply that it wasn't their business to discuss human nature but to record and interpret economic and political facts. Walter Lippmann. A Preface to Politics.
- Her quickened sense could interpret every sound of motion: now he was at the hat-stand--now at the very room-door. Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell. North and South.
- We should not interpret a Platonic dialogue any more than a poem or a parable in too literal or matter-of-fact a style. Plato. The Republic.
- No one knew exactly what inspired her elliptic comments, and her relations had long since given up trying to interpret them. Edith Wharton. The Age of Innocence.
- Yet such people talk of character and presume to interpret expression in pictures. Mark Twain. The Innocents Abroad.
- How shall we interpret the oracle, you and I and the old intriguer? Charles Dickens. Little Dorrit.
- Be sure to let me interpret for her whenever she puzzles you; always believe my account of the matter, Robert. Charlotte Bronte. Shirley.
- Sir James interpreted the heightened color in the way most gratifying to himself, and thought he never saw Miss Brooke looking so handsome. George Eliot. Middlemarch.
- Lee interpreted this as a semi-retreat of the Army of the Potomac to Fredericksburg, and so informed his government. Ulysses S. Grant. Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant.
- Mrs Plornish interpreted in her Italian manner, on behalf of Mr Pancks, 'E please. Charles Dickens. Little Dorrit.
- Facts are marshaled, the news of the day is interpreted to show that men are determined by economic conditions. Walter Lippmann. A Preface to Politics.
- I interpreted what she said to my nephew, who immediately seized hold of the delicate Carlo, saying, Come along with me, little Boney. Harriette Wilson. The Memoirs of Harriette Wilson.
- And still there arises another question: Are friends to be interpreted as real or seeming; enemies as real or seeming? Plato. The Republic.
- Then it was that we interpreted his command. Edgar Rice Burroughs. The Gods of Mars.
- Whether they or their judges had any part in penning those laws, which they assumed the liberty of interpreting, and glossing upon at their pleasure? Jonathan Swift. Gulliver's Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World.
- He could remain her brotherly friend, interpreting her actions with generous trustfulness. George Eliot. Middlemarch.
- Ferguson--(interpreting)--He says two Napoleons--eight dollars. Mark Twain. The Innocents Abroad.
- They were implements for instituting, conducting, interpreting experimental inquiries and formulating their results. John Dewey. Democracy and Education.
- His eloquent look had more to say, his hand drew me forward, his interpreting lips stirred. Charlotte Bronte. Villette.
- No one would deny the right of forming a provisional assumption to the intelligence officer interpreting a cipher, or to the detective unravelling the mystery of a crime. Walter Libby. An Introduction to the History of Science.
- As the singer interprets the song the vibrations set up by the singer’s voice are communicated to the diaphragm by the passage of the sound through the horn. Various. The Wonder Book of Knowledge.
- He interprets it, I can see, to his own advantage. Wilkie Collins. The Woman in White.
- By means of these varying clicks of the sounder, the operator interprets the message. Bertha M. Clark. General Science.
Checker: Sinclair