MEANING
1. To represent information in symbols or another form so it can be transmitted, interpreted, or stored.
2. To express an intended meaning using the words and structures of a language.
Use it for
explaining how a system represents information; distinguishing coding from encryption; describing how visual or linguistic signs carry meaningDescribes how meaning becomes representable in signs or a storage format, without equating all encoding with secrecy. Writing functions: Theory / Conceptual Language, Analysis / Interpretation.
Words that belong together
- encode information
- encode a message
- encode data in a format
On the page
The map encodes population size through the area of each circle.
The analysis asks how the advertisement encodes status without naming it directly.
A speaker may encode a request as a question rather than an imperative.
The exercise compares how learners encode the same meaning in two languages.
Word forms
- Base
- encode
- Past tense
- encoded
- Past participle
- encoded
- Present participle
- encoding
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- encode
- Present continuous
- am/is/are encoding
- Present perfect
- have/has encoded
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been encoding
- Past
- encoded
- Past continuous
- was/were encoding
- Past perfect
- had encoded
- Past perfect continuous
- had been encoding
- Future
- will encode
- Future continuous
- will be encoding
- Future perfect
- will have encoded
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been encoding
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Transitive verb; encodes, encoded, encoded, encoding. Future will encode. Usually encode information in or as a form. Not necessarily encrypt. Register: technical. Commonness: moderately common (qualitative editorial estimate, informed by dictionaries/corpus).
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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