cod

1 of 3

noun

ˈkäd 

plural cod also cods

1

: any of various bottom-dwelling fishes (family Gadidae, the cod family) that usually occur in cold marine waters and often have barbels and three dorsal fins: such as

a

: one (Gadus morhua) of the North Atlantic that is an important food fish

b

: one (Gadus macrocephalus) of the Pacific Ocean

2

: any of various bony fishes resembling the true cods

cod

2 of 3

abbreviation (1)

codex

COD

3 of 3

abbreviation (2)

cash on delivery; collect on delivery

Examples of cod in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Served on Vista Alegre porcelain, recent dishes from Tap’s Local Stars program have included sautéed prawns with strawberry gazpacho, roasted cod in pil-pil sauce, veal terrine, and Dom Rodrigo, an Algarve dessert made with egg yolks and almonds. — Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 12 Oct. 2026

An interesting afternoon tea includes salt cod croquettes and apple-lemongrass pudding. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026

Police also investigated a string of similar cargo thefts in 2024 involving beef, pork, salmon, cod and crab. — Frederick Sutton Sinclair, CBS News, 6 Oct. 2026

The hefty cod and haddock catches from the chilled Arctic waters around Iceland are central to the national identity too. — ABC News, 29 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing cod

• black cod
• cod-liver oil
• rock cod

Rhymes for cod

• awed
• baaed
• baud
• bawd
• brod
• clawed
• flawed
• fraud
• gnawed
• god
• jawed
• maud

Kids Definition

cod

noun

ˈkäd 

plural cod also cods

: a soft-finned fish of the colder parts of the North Atlantic that is a major food fish

also : any of several related fishes

Medical Definition

cod

noun

ˈkäd 

plural cod also cods

: any of various bottom-dwelling fishes (family Gadidae, the cod family) that usually occur in cold marine waters and often have barbels and three dorsal fins: as

a

: one (Gadus morhua) of the North Atlantic that is an important food fish

b

: one (Gadus macrocephalus) of the Pacific Ocean

Legal Definition

COD

abbreviation

cash on delivery, collect on delivery