code

[ kohd ]

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.

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, noun
code·less, adjective
pre·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

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

How to use code in a sentence

Full articles are only available to members, but you can use discount code ECFriday to save 20% off a one or two-year subscription.
Extra Crunch roundup: A fistful of IPOs, Affirm’s Peloton problem, Zoom Apps and more | Walter Thompson | November 20, 2020 | TechCrunch
The authorities will give you a unique code, or key, to enter into your phone.
A covid-fighting tool is buried in your phone. Turn it on. | Geoffrey Fowler | November 20, 2020 | Washington Post
For clarity, I’ve divided all Zip codes in the state — 1,071 total — into six “buckets,” based on the prevalence of covid-19 in those communities.
Schools are not spreading covid-19. This new data explains why. | Emily Oster | November 20, 2020 | Washington Post
If you agree, they’ll give you a code to enter into the app.
Do digital contact tracing apps work? Here’s what you need to know. | Cat Ferguson | November 20, 2020 | MIT Technology Review
According to the penal code of literary fiction, that’s a violation of Section 364, Prohibiting Unlawful Departure from Ambiguity and Despair.
The 10 best books of 2020 | Washington Post Editors and Reviewers | November 19, 2020 | Washington Post

Coded references to risqué and sexual matters were catnip to the lyricists Lorenz Hart and Cole Porter.
When Broadway Musicals Were Dark And Subversive | Laurence Maslon | December 16, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
A “system of systems” approach was evident in the biggest thinly coded message at Zhuhai.
How China Will Track—and Kill—America’s Newest Stealth Jets | Bill Sweetman | December 2, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
The 1988 presidential race is rightly remembered for its focus on demagogic and racially coded appeals.
Why Isn’t Prison Justice on the Ballot This Tuesday? | Inimai Chettiar, Abigail Finkelman | November 1, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
I also knew it was a fight between day and night, so I color-coded the entire pilot in blue for night and gold for day.
Vampires without Glitter or Girl Problems: Inside Guillermo del Toro’s ‘The Strain’ | Andrew Romano | July 14, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Or, at least, that is a perfectly fair assumption until we have a less coded discourse about the matter.
Standardized Tests Aren’t Racist: How Brown Kids Can Ace the Test to Get Into New York’s Stuyvesant | John McWhorter | June 27, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
For example, all stage directions were indented the same amount from the left margin and coded as hanging paragraphs.
Chains | Elizabeth Baker
There was one program that hadn't been coded into the machines yet.
Meeting of the Board | Alan Edward Nourse
He pulled a thermos of coffee from under the desk and turned back to the confusion of red-coded memoranda on his desk.
Victory | Lester del Rey
The sensitivities are shaded in coded ranges representing measurable quantities.
The Atomic Fingerprint | Bernard Keisch
He selected the requisite flags from a locker, the phrase he needed being coded.
The Pillar of Light | Louis Tracy

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, etc: binary code; Morse code See also genetic code
a message in code

a symbol used in a code
a conventionalized set of principles, rules, or expectations: a 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

Origin of 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.

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