coding

American  

[koh-ding] / ˈkoʊ dɪŋ /

noun

1. Computers. the act or process of writing code, or the instructions for a program or piece of software.

   There’s a bit of coding left to do, and then we’ll be ready to beta-test.

   He likes to do the software design, but leaves the actual coding to others.

2. the act or process of expressing a message in words, images, sounds, or any other set of symbols or signs; encoding.

   The secret coding of ship messages hindered rescue efforts during the war.

   In advertising, the coding of your message can make or break your marketing strategy.

3. the act or process of categorizing or identifying a set of things by assigning a code to them.

   Using color coding along with the bin labels will increase the sorting productivity and accuracy of mail clerks.

4. Statistics. the act of transforming a random variable into one that is more convenient for certain types of analysis or for the removal of invalid data.

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Etymology

Origin of coding

First recorded in 1865–70 originally used for telegraphy; code + -ing ¹

Example Sentences

Coding is a way to monetize all that AI computing.

From Barron's • Apr. 22, 2026

Coding and clerical tasks are far more straightforward and lucrative.

From Slate • Mar. 25, 2026

Coding applications have emerged as one of the most important—and profitable—uses of enterprise AI, with Anthropic’s Claude Code generally regarded as the market leader.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 28, 2026

He won second place in the MIT Battlecode’s high school division and advanced to the Google Code Jam Coding Contest semifinal, a global coding competition.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 4, 2025

Ekman and Friesen ultimately assembled all these combinations—and the rules for reading and interpreting them—into the Facial Action Coding System, or FACS, and wrote them up in a five-hundred-page document.

From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell