Jump To:

• 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 naym] / 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.

---

code-name ² American  

[kohd-naym] / ˈkoʊdˌneɪm /

verb (used with object)

code-named, code-naming

1. to assign a code name to.

---

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

His code name was Lawful, and Ted did want to prove that he couldn’t be defeated.

From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026

"Everything was always under a code name," he said, adding: "You don't really 100% know you're working on something until you're actually there doing it."

From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026

They referred to the possibility of their characters getting a call from Sweden by a code name: ABBA.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 17, 2026

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

From Barron's ● Dec. 22, 2025

To the KGB, Blake was henceforth known by his code name: DIOMID, or "diamond."

From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau

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

His code-name was "Godsend" and he worked at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico.

From Fox News ● Dec. 4, 2019

The mission went by the code-name Operation Washington.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2013

The military denied the allegations and issued a detailed defense, saying the systems, code-named Lavender and The Gospel, “are merely tools” for intelligence.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026

The recent announcement that Microsoft's Xbox division was working on a new console, code-named Project Helix, showed, she said at the time, the "commitment to the return of Xbox".

From BBC ● Apr. 22, 2026

OpenAI scrapped its Sora video-generation app in part to free up computing resources to power coding and enterprise products that would work on a new AI model, code-named Spud, The Wall Street Journal reported.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 13, 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

Kennedy, a folklorist at heart, apparently wanted to put across the most dramatic story possible, and therefore included not only his own anti-Klan activities but those of another man, code-named John Brown.

From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt

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