barcode

American  

[bahr-kohd] / ˈbɑrˌkoʊd /

noun

1. a series of lines of varying width, printed, as on a container or product, that can be read by an optical scanner to determine charges for purchases, destinations for letters, etc.

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verb (used with object)

barcoded, barcoding

1. to put a barcode on.

Etymology

Origin of barcode

First recorded in 1960–65; bar ¹ (in the sense of “a band or strip”) + code

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

barcode barcoded barcoding

But information arrives in fragments: a barcode result here, a recall notice there, a corrected FDA finding, a corporate statement, a congressional inquiry.

From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026

Just don't say it looks like a barcode.

From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026

Today, lasers are used throughout modern society, from supermarket barcode scanners to vision correction procedures and advanced scientific instruments.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 5, 2026

The deal includes its hardware, software and services for high-volume, automated data collection and tracking in mobile computers, barcode scanners and printing.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 2026

It reads the ultraviolet barcode on the inside of everyone’s wrist and marks each internee as present, flashing our camp mug shots for a moment on the scanner’s screen.

From "Internment" by Samira Ahmed

That tech included shuffling machines that could read cards, hidden cameras and barcoded decks.

From Barron's ● Nov. 24, 2025

Thanks to the barcoded viruses, they could identify in which tissues the virus had replicated the fastest and spread the furthest just seven days after treatment was stopped.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 24, 2024

People can swap their old stamps for barcoded stamps through Royal Mail's Swap Out scheme, where there is no deadline for exchange.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2023

The letter calls on supermarkets to add barcoded coupons, cashier discounts, customer service refunds, printed coupons and coupon kiosks to offer the same price cuts for non-digital shoppers.

From Washington Times ● Nov. 18, 2022

But he kept the printer at his house, and it was never barcoded and registered as a district asset, the firing notice said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 18, 2021

Clare carries out some of that work - using something called DNA barcoding to identify the species of mosquito found in those traps.

From BBC ● Dec. 2, 2023

Dr Prendergast said the findings showed the value of DNA barcoding in accurately identifying males and females that belong to the same species.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 30, 2023

Other common fingerprinting techniques, such as DNA barcoding that examines short DNA fragments, can detect adulteration in other foods, like fish or sausages.

From Salon ● Apr. 11, 2023

Newmaster’s accusers criticized the investigation, led by scholars with no expertise in DNA barcoding or other scientific issues the critics thought relevant.

From Science Magazine ● Mar. 20, 2023

DNA barcoding is one molecular genetic method, which takes advantage of rapid evolution in a mitochondrial gene present in eukaryotes, excepting the plants, to identify species using the sequence of portions of the gene.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022