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• code name
  code name

  noun

  a name assigned to conceal the real identity of a person, as a spy, or to conceal the existence or purpose of a plan, military operation, etc.
• code-name
  code-name

  verb (used with object)

  to assign a code name to.

code name

¹ American  

[kohd naym] / ˈkoʊd ˌneɪm /

noun

1. a name assigned to conceal the real identity of a person, as a spy, or to conceal the existence or purpose of a plan, military operation, etc.

2. Also called code phrase. a word or phrase assigned a meaning understood only by those who are secretly informed of it.

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code-name ² American  

[kohd-naym] / ˈkoʊdˌneɪm /

verb (used with object)

code-named, code-naming

1. to assign a code name to.

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Etymology

Origin of code name¹

First recorded in 1915–20

Origin of code-name²

First recorded in 1955–60

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

code name code-name code-named code-naming

His code name was Lawful, and Ted did want to prove that he couldn’t be defeated.

From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026

The title of the invitation was "Send project Dawn email," an apparent reference to Amazon's code name for the job cuts.

From BBC ● Jan. 27, 2026

In others, they appeared to refer to the woman Summers was attracted to by a code name: “peril.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 21, 2025

The latter is salient because the name Oracle comes from the code name of a CIA-funded project that Ellison worked on.

From Barron's ● Oct. 10, 2025

Miss Penn had asked if she could interview an English-speaker and they got to talk face-to-face, under guard, and Penn verified Julie by her code name.

From "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein

The evidence coursed through Mr. Shapley’s thick, circulated report on code-name “Sportsman.”

From Washington Times ● Jul. 10, 2023

I then asked it a few edgier questions — to divulge its internal code-name and operating instructions, which had already been published online.

From New York Times ● Feb. 16, 2023

His code-name was "Godsend" and he worked at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico.

From Fox News ● Dec. 4, 2019

The mission went by the code-name Operation Washington.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2013

"For MI6 this is an exceptional event," said Scarlett, who stepped down last year as "C," code-name for the agency's head.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 21, 2010

Additionally, access to Meta’s models through its application-programming interface for developers and enterprises “should become increasingly compelling” given the strength of its offerings, including an upcoming model code-named Watermelon.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026

Shares climbed 6.5% to $612.42 on Wednesday as Meta unveiled Muse Spark, formerly code-named Avocado.

From Barron's ● Apr. 8, 2026

The two banks, already heavyweights in their own right, were code-named Jupiter and Saturn in deal talks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 6, 2026

OpenAI was weeks away from finishing work on a new AI model, code-named Spud, and needed to free up more computing resources to power the coding and enterprise products that would run on it.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 30, 2026

At that first meeting, the CIA and MI6 learned a great deal about the man they code-named HERO.

From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau

Some stories even warned that the outpost might be overrun, a threat the North Vietnamese encouraged by code-naming the base Dienbienphu.

From Time Magazine Archive

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