coding
Americannoun
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codings
plural
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of coding
First recorded in 1865–70 originally used for telegraphy; code + -ing 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Today’s AI large language models might excel at coding, but proponents say doing real physical work requires large action models, aka world models.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
He noted that "vibe coding" – making an app or website using AI rather than by coding it manually – was "all the rage".
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
SpaceX now owns AI software coding tool Cursor.
From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026
“But I darn well believe it’s important that the coding is done and done well.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
To improve security, they had given their top South American spies a present—a coding machine called Enigma.
From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield
Racial codings of social problems influence public attitudes through two basic processes.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 26, 2021
The Cricketer magazine’s 2018 fixtures wallchart has 21 different colour codings for different kinds of events, putting it way ahead of the London Underground map.
From The Guardian ● May 11, 2018
Remember that this affects all of his work, since his character codings, and hence his phylogenetic hypotheses, are heavily dependent on information gleaned from DGS.
From Scientific American ● Jul. 4, 2012
It’s because his observations, and hence his character codings and the trees that result from them, are regarded as wholly unreliable.
From Scientific American ● Jul. 4, 2012
But, not all of Dave’s character codings are derived from DGS.
From Scientific American ● Jul. 4, 2012
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
