code

verb

coded; coding

transitive verb

: to put in or into the form or symbols of a code

intransitive verb

1

: to specify the genetic code

a gene that codes for a protein

2

: to create or edit computer code

She got a job coding for Google.

codable

ˈkō-də-bəl 

adjective

coder noun

Examples of code in a Sentence

The general sent a coded message.

Each product has been coded.

Recent Examples on the Web

Soft pastel florals evoke vintage cottagecore romance, while bright neon blooms lean playful and Y2K-coded. —Daisy Maldonado, InStyle, 5 June 2026

Apple's vibe-coding crackdown watch now Choose CNBC as your preferred source on Google and never miss a moment from the most trusted name in business news. —Cj Haddad, CNBC, 4 June 2026

Dayaratna said that doesn't mean SpaceX doesn't have potential as a major AI player, thanks in part to its computing partnership with Anthropic and Musk's recent deal that gave SpaceX the rights to buy AI coding tool Cursor for $60 billion later this year. —CBS News, 4 June 2026

The ChatGPT maker is adding plugins to its coding agent designed for banking, investment, and sales, among other roles, with corporate finance and legal tools to come, Bloomberg reported. —Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 3 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1815, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Phrases Containing code

• area code
• bar code
• black code
• cheat code
• code name
• code of conduct
• code of ethics
• code red
• code switch
• code-switching
• code word
• dialling code
• dress code
• genetic code
• Morse code
• object code
• penal code
• pre-code
• QR code
• source code
• sub-code
• vibe code
• ZIP code

Rhymes for code

• blowed
• bode
• crowed
• flowed
• glowed
• goad
• growed
• knowed
• load
• lode
• lowed
• mode

Kids Definition

code

1 of 2 noun

ˈkōd 

1

: a collection of laws arranged in some orderly way

criminal code

2

: a system of principles or rules

moral code

3

a

: a system of signals for communicating

b

: a system of symbols (as letters or numbers) used to represent assigned and often secret meanings

4

: genetic code

5

: a set of instructions for a computer

code

2 of 2 verb

coded; coding

: to put into the form or symbols of a code

coder noun

Medical Definition

code

1 of 2 noun

ˈkōd 

1

: genetic code

2

: code blue

code

2 of 2 verb

coded; coding

transitive verb

: to specify the genetic code for

an amino acid coded by a nucleotide sequence

intransitive verb

1

: to specify the genetic code

the DNA sequence of the gene that codes for that protein

—Gina B. Kolata

2

: to experience cardiac arrest or respiratory failure

They were taking her up to the operating room and she coded in the hallway. The resuscitation effort was heroic.

—Perri Klass, Discover

Legal Definition

code

noun

1

: a systematic compilation or revision of law or legal principles that is arranged especially by subject: as

a

: one that contains the law of a specific jurisdiction or topic promulgated by legislative authority

U.S. Code

Code of Massachusetts Regulations

building code

compare case law, digest, statute

b

: one that serves as a model for legislation but is not itself a law

Model Penal Code

2

: a set of rules or regulations that is promulgated by a body (as a professional organization) and that regulates its industrial or professional practices

ABA Code of Professional Responsibility

Etymology

Old French, from Medieval Latin codex, from Latin caudex, codex tree trunk, set of wood writing tablets, book