area code

noun

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.

Nearby words

arduous, ardèche, are, area, area bombing, area code, area of cardiac dullness, area of outstanding natural beauty, area opaca, area pellucida, area rug

Origin of area code

First recorded in 1960–65

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for area code

area code

noun

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012