code

[ kohd ]

/ koʊd /

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See synonyms for: code / coded / codes / coding on Thesaurus.com

noun

a system for communication by telegraph, heliograph, etc., in which long and short sounds, light flashes, etc., are used to symbolize the content of a message: Morse code.

a system used for brevity or secrecy of communication, in which arbitrarily chosen words, letters, or symbols are assigned definite meanings.

indirect wording that is euphemistic, deceptive, or opaque: The firm says its testing methodology is “proprietary”—which some believe is code for “hidden from scrutiny.”

any set of standards set forth and enforced by a local government agency for the protection of public safety, health, etc., as in the structural safety of buildings (building code ), health requirements for plumbing, ventilation, etc. (sanitary code or health code ), and the specifications for fire escapes or exits (fire code ).

a systematically arranged collection or compendium of laws, rules, or regulations.

any authoritative, general, systematic, and written statement of the legal rules and principles applicable in a given legal order to one or more broad areas of life.

a word, letter, number, or other symbol used in a code system to mark, represent, or identify something: The code on the label shows the date of manufacture.

Computers.

a set of symbols that can be interpreted by a computer or piece of software: binary code; Java code; ASCII code.
the symbolic arrangement of statements or instructions in a computer program, or the set of instructions in such a program: That program took 3000 lines of code.

any system or collection of rules and regulations: a gentleman's code of behavior.

Medicine/Medical. a directive or alert to a hospital team assigned to emergency resuscitation of patients.

Genetics. genetic code.

Linguistics.

the system of rules shared by the participants in an act of communication, making possible the transmission and interpretation of messages.
(in sociolinguistic theory) one of two distinct styles of language use that differ in degree of explicitness and are sometimes thought to be correlated with differences in social class.Compare elaborated code, restricted code.

verb (used with object), cod·ed, cod·ing.

to translate (a message) into a code; encode.

to categorize or identify by assigning a code to: All specimens were coded prior to the test.

to arrange or enter (laws or statutes) in a code.

Computers. to write code for (a computer program or application) (often followed by up): Hire a programmer to code up a website for you.

verb (used without object), cod·ed, cod·ing.

Genetics. to specify the amino acid sequence of a protein by the sequence of nucleotides comprising the gene for that protein: a gene that codes for the production of insulin.

Computers. to write computer code.

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Origin of code

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English, from Anglo-French, Old French, from Latin cōdex “book”; see codex

OTHER WORDS FROM code

cod·er, nouncode·less, adjectivepre·code, verb (used with object), pre·cod·ed, pre·cod·ing.re·code, verb (used with object), re·cod·ed, re·cod·ing.

sub·code, noun

Words nearby code

coda, cod-act, co-day, codder, coddle, code, code blue, code book, codec, codeclination, code dating

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use code in a sentence

Unlike other, more complex algorithms, it allows a user to take any video of a person’s face and use it to animate a photo of someone else’s face with only a few lines of code.
Memers are making deepfakes, and things are getting weird|Karen Hao|August 28, 2020|MIT Technology Review
It will require apps to ask users for permission to collect and share data using a unique code that identifies their iPhones and iPads.
Facebook: Apple privacy changes will muck up online ads|Verne Kopytoff|August 26, 2020|Fortune
Postal workers expedite millions of ballots to voters and then bring completed ones to county election offices, where they are tracked using bar codes.
As states mull expanding vote by mail, they’re turning to Oregon for advice|Lee Clifford|August 24, 2020|Fortune
She was told that because of her ZIP code, she was a high-risk patient and was moved to a quarantine room to deliver her baby.
Federal Investigation Finds Hospital Violated Patients’ Rights by Profiling, Separating Native Mothers and Newborns|by Bryant Furlow, New Mexico In Depth|August 22, 2020|ProPublica

Because of an error in the computer code, the researchers say, their findings — that humans outperformed a computer game that simulated quantum mechanics — are not valid.
A reader asks about coronavirus mutations|Science News Staff|August 10, 2020|Science News
Based on a true story” is film code for “this may or may not have happened, but almost certainly not in this way.
Wrestler Mark Schultz Hates the ‘Sickening and Insulting Lies’ of ‘Foxcatcher’|Rich Goldstein|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In Brazil people color code their underwear according to their needs.
New Year’s Eve, Babylon Style|Candida Moss|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
These addresses were used by whoever carried out the attack to control the malware and can be found in the malware code itself.
No, North Korea Didn’t Hack Sony|Marc Rogers|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The source code for the original “Shamoon” malware is widely known to have leaked.
No, North Korea Didn’t Hack Sony|Marc Rogers|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Enforcement of U.S Code, Title VII, Chapter 25A “Export Standards for Grapes and Plums” remains fully funded, thank goodness.
Congress’ Gift That Keeps on Giving|P. J. O’Rourke|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It is no part of the present essay to attempt to detail the particulars of a code of social legislation.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice|Stephen Leacock
The minimum wage law ought to form, in one fashion or another, a part of the code of every community.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice|Stephen Leacock
Plato, dissatisfied with the laws of his country, wrote out a code of morals and laws which he thought much better.
Gospel Philosophy|J. H. Ward
The objectors consider it to be a most selfish doctrine without any warrant in the civilised code of morality.
Third class in Indian railways|Mahatma Gandhi
Why is a cankered tie indissoluble, notwithstanding the great maxim adopted by the code, Quicquid ligatur dissolubile est?
A Philosophical Dictionary, Volume 1 (of 10)|Franois-Marie Arouet (AKA Voltaire)

British Dictionary definitions for code

code

/ (kəʊd) /

noun

a system of letters or symbols, and rules for their association by means of which information can be represented or communicated for reasons of secrecy, brevity, etcbinary code; Morse code See also genetic code

a message in code

a symbol used in a code

a conventionalized set of principles, rules, or expectationsa code of behaviour

a system of letters or digits used for identification or selection purposes

verb (tr)

to translate, transmit, or arrange into a code

Word Origin for code

C14: from French, from Latin cōdex book, codex

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

Scientific definitions for code

code

[ kōd ]

A system of signals used to represent letters or numbers in transmitting messages.

The instructions in a computer program. Instructions written by a programmer in a programming language are often called source code. Instructions that have been converted into machine language that the computer understands are called machine code or executable code. See also programming language.

Cultural definitions for code

code

A series of instructions designed to be fed into a computer.

code

Origin of code

OTHER WORDS FROM code

Words nearby code

Words related to code

How to use code in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for code

Word Origin for code

Scientific definitions for code

Cultural definitions for code