encode
gb/ɪŋkˈoʊd/ us/ɪŋkˈoʊd/
B2
Anglais
~ 5300
Sens
0 sens
Verbe
technical
B2
action
1
change data into coded format
To change information into a special form so a computer or device can use, store, or send it.
Schéma d’usage :
to encode [data/information] [in/into a format]
Erreur fréquente :
Learners often confuse "encode" with "encrypt" and "compress." "Encrypt" means to protect data so that only authorized people can read it, while "encode" is more general and can simply mean changing the format. "Compress" means making a file smaller; compression may happen during encoding, but the words are not the same.
Synonymes
convert (General term for changing something into a different form; not limited to digital or coded formats.)
|
code (Very close in meaning, but can sound slightly less technical and may also refer to writing computer programs.)
Antonymes
decode (Means to change coded data back into its original readable or usable form.)
Collocations
encode data
|encode a file
|encode video
|encode information
|encode in [format]
Thèmes
technology
|communication
Exemples
- The software can encode video files in several different formats.
- Please encode the data in UTF-8 before sending it to the server.
- The camera automatically encodes the image and saves it as a JPEG file.
- This tool compresses and encodes the audio for streaming.
- The sensor encodes the signal into digital form.
Exemples pédagogiques
- The program encodes the text before it is sent.
- You must encode the file in the right format.
- This app can encode your photos for the web.
- The device encodes sound and sends it to the computer.
Verbe
C1
action
2
put a message into code
To change a normal message into secret signs or symbols so other people cannot understand it.
Schéma d’usage :
to encode [a message/text/information]
Erreur fréquente :
Learners sometimes use "encode" when they only mean "send" or "write" a message. "Encode" always means putting the message into some kind of code or secret system, not just sending it. They may also say "encode it back" when they mean "decode it" or "decrypt it."
Synonymes
encrypt (Modern, very common word for using mathematical methods to protect digital information; a type of encoding specifically for security.)
|
cipher (More formal or old-fashioned term used mainly in the context of classical secret codes.)
Antonymes
decrypt (Means to change a coded or encrypted message back into its clear, readable form.)
|
decode (General opposite: to turn a coded message back into normal language.)
Collocations
encode a message
|encode text
|encode communications
|encoded message
|encode the transmission
Thèmes
communication
|security
|technology
Exemples
- Spies used a simple substitution key to encode their messages.
- The app will automatically encode your chat so that only the receiver can read it.
- During the war, the army encoded all radio transmissions.
- They encoded the text with a secret password before sharing it online.
- The document was encoded to prevent unauthorized access.
Exemples pédagogiques
- They encode the message so no one else can read it.
- The spy encoded the letter before he sent it.
- This tool can encode your email for safety.
- The company encodes all important information.
Verbe
technical
C1
action
3
contain genetic instructions for something
(Of DNA or a gene) To hold the information that makes a certain protein or part of the body.
Schéma d’usage :
[a gene/DNA] encodes [a protein/trait]
Erreur fréquente :
Learners may confuse this with the general "computer" or "secret code" meanings. In biology, "encode" does not mean to hide information; it means the DNA holds instructions to build something in the body.
Synonymes
specify (In genetics, often used to mean that a gene determines or defines a particular protein or trait.)
Antonymes
lack (If a gene does not encode a protein, the organism may lack that protein or trait; used here as a practical opposite in biological descriptions.)
Collocations
gene encodes
|encode a protein
|encode an enzyme
|encode a receptor
|encode a specific trait
Thèmes
science
|biology
Exemples
- This gene encodes a protein that regulates cell growth.
- The viral genome encodes several structural and non-structural proteins.
- A single mutation can change how a gene encodes its enzyme.
- In humans, multiple genes encode the receptors involved in smell.
- The segment of DNA encodes a key immune response protein.
Exemples pédagogiques
- This gene encodes a small protein.
- In biology class we learned that DNA encodes many traits.
- These genes encode the main enzymes for this process.
- The virus encodes only a few proteins.
Verbe
formal
C2
action
4
represent information in another form
To show or hold information or meaning in a special form, like words, pictures, or brain signals.
Schéma d’usage :
to encode [information/meaning/experience] [in/into something]
Erreur fréquente :
Learners sometimes think this meaning always involves computers or secret codes. In academic or formal writing, "encode" often refers to how the brain, art, or language holds or represents information, not to digital formats or secrecy.
Synonymes
represent (Very close in meaning; a broader, less technical word for showing information or meaning in some form.)
|
express (Focuses more on showing feelings or ideas, while "encode" sounds more technical and systematic.)
Antonymes
obscure (To make information or meaning unclear or hard to understand, instead of clearly encoding it in a system.)
Collocations
encode meaning
|encode information
|encode memories
|encode experience
|visually encode
Thèmes
communication
|psychology
Exemples
- The brain encodes memories by strengthening certain neural connections.
- These symbols encode complex social and religious meanings.
- Writers encode their values and beliefs in the stories they tell.
- The study examines how children encode and retrieve new information.
- Facial expressions can encode subtle emotional cues.
Exemples pédagogiques
- Our brains encode new memories during sleep.
- Pictures can encode a lot of information in a small space.
- The artist encodes her ideas in color and shape.
- Teachers help students encode new words in long-term memory.
Grammaire
Forme canonique
encode
API
GB/ɪŋkˈoʊd/
US/ɪŋkˈoʊd/
Syllabes et accentuation
en - code (2 syllabes)
Stress on 2nd syllable (code)
Formes du mot
Verb
- Base: encode
- 3rd Person Singular: encodes
- Present Participle: encoding
- Past: encoded
Famille de mots
Forms
encodes
verb
encoding
verb
encoded
verb
Core family
encoder
noun
decode
verb
Related words
Advanced or less common
recode
verb
Expressions
encode in
1/ɪŋkˈoʊd ˈɪn/
fixed phrase
technical
store data using a format
To change information so it uses a particular format or character set that a system needs.
Exemples
- Please encode the text in UTF-8 before uploading it.
- The file is encoded in a format that older players cannot read.
- All passwords are encoded in a secure hash format in the database.