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• code name
  code name

  noun

  a name assigned to conceal the real identity of a person, as a spy, or to conceal the existence or purpose of a plan, military operation, etc.
• code-name
  code-name

  verb (used with object)

  to assign a code name to.

code name

¹ American  

[kohd neym] / ˈkoʊd ˌneɪm /

noun

1. a name assigned to conceal the real identity of a person, as a spy, or to conceal the existence or purpose of a plan, military operation, etc.

2. Also called code phrase.  a word or phrase assigned a meaning understood only by those who are secretly informed of it.

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code-name ² American  

[kohd-neym] / ˈkoʊdˌneɪm /

verb (used with object)

code-named, code-naming

1. to assign a code name to.

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Etymology

Origin of code name¹

First recorded in 1915–20

Origin of code-name²

First recorded in 1955–60

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

code name code-name code-named code-naming

Goren allegedly worked alongside Ozgur Altun, known by the code name "Abu Yasir Al Turki".

From Barron's ● Dec. 22, 2025

Southwest began testing new boarding months before assigned seating was announced using the code name Project USA.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2025

The code name for the massive operation to catch Miller, in the summer and fall of 1984, was “Whipworm,” a reference to an intestinal parasite.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 23, 2025

He said company lawyers had come up with a code name for the deal — Project USA — to help maintain a level of secrecy.

From New York Times ● May 1, 2024

The first phase of Hitler's secret attack on America, code name Operation Pastorius, had begun.

From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple

The evidence coursed through Mr. Shapley’s thick, circulated report on code-name “Sportsman.”

From Washington Times ● Jul. 10, 2023

I then asked it a few edgier questions — to divulge its internal code-name and operating instructions, which had already been published online.

From New York Times ● Feb. 16, 2023

The suspect, identified by his code-name “Husam” was apprehended by Turkish police late Wednesday in the Syrian city of Azaz, which is currently under the control of the Turkey-backed Syrian opposition, the Anadolu Agency reported.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 16, 2022

He said the meeting of the WHO will likely result in the variant receiving a Greek code-name, like the Delta variant.

From Fox News ● Nov. 26, 2021

By mid-morning on 28 August, five military bases on the outskirts of the capital were bursting with activity, as a heavily-armed 4,000-strong task force with the code-name Inside prepared for deployment.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2013

Around 2014, the company embarked on a project code-named “Titan” to make its own electric car, but it quietly dropped the effort a decade later.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 21, 2026

Ayaz’s plan to unite the marketing group and reduce expenses is code-named Project Imagine, according to people familiar with the matter.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 9, 2026

Shares climbed 6.5% to $612.42 on Wednesday as Meta unveiled Muse Spark, formerly code-named Avocado.

From Barron's ● Apr. 8, 2026

In January, Intel introduced the consumer version of the PC chips, code-named Panther Lake, as the first to be designed on “the most advanced semiconductor process ever developed and manufactured in the United States.”

From MarketWatch ● Mar. 25, 2026

So when Lawrence unveiled yet another audacious scheme in 1952—this one for a neutron-producing cyclotron code-named J-16 and bearing an astounding price tag of $30 million—-Smyth was distinctly unmoved.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

Some stories even warned that the outpost might be overrun, a threat the North Vietnamese encouraged by code-naming the base Dienbienphu.

From Time Magazine Archive