area code

American  

noun

area codes plural

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 British  

noun

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

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• area codes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of area code

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

area code

While the ad for the in-universe furniture store Cap’n Clark’s Ottoman Empire plays, a phone number with a South Bay area code flashes in a supertitle.

From Salon ● Jun. 8, 2026

But in Florence, he joked that Gallrein's phone number "has a Tel Aviv area code".

From BBC ● May 18, 2026

I happen to live and work in Melbourne, Fla. Our area code is 321 — like a countdown.

From MarketWatch ● May 12, 2026

Tuesday is now known as 502Tuesday, after the local area code.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 30, 2026

It was an area code for this part of the state, I was sure of it.

From "The Darkest Minds" by Alexandra Bracken