area code

noun

1. a three-digit code that identifies one of the telephone areas into which the U.S. and certain other countries are divided and that precedes the local telephone number when dialing a call between areas.

area code

noun

1. a number prefixed to an individual telephone number: used in making long-distance calls

Word History and Origins

Origin of area code¹

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

There was a phone number with a Virginia area code that she could call—but only in the case of dire emergency.

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Other area codes must settle for a tastefully decorated ranch far beyond New York’s city limits, like the one Nathan Lane’s Bunny Schneiderman shares with his mother in Palm Springs on “Mid-Century Modern.”

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Nine of the 16 losses came in Toronto and the surrounding "905" - places that all share the same area code.

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Staffers speculated whether the alert was related to a nascent fire in West Hills, until a reporter with a 310 area code number said she’d also received the alert.

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Metro officials have said they believe the scammers have been targeting individuals through various area codes and have been hitting FasTrak drivers and non-users alike.

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