coda

1 of 2

noun

co·​da ˈkō-də 

1

a

: a concluding musical section that is formally distinct from the main structure

b

: a concluding part of a literary or dramatic work

2

: something that serves to round out, conclude, or summarize and usually has its own interest

CODA

2 of 2

abbreviation or noun

ˈkō-də 

plural CODAs

: a child and especially a hearing child of adults who are deaf

Growing up in the Cayman Islands as a multiracial young girl and Child Of Deaf Adults (CODA), Byers was bullied throughout her childhood.

—Bianca R. Montes

Often, CODAs spend their lives bridging the gap between the Deaf culture and the hearing culture as they become ASL interpreters for their Deaf parents.

—Joyceann Fileccia

Examples of coda in a Sentence

Noun

The movie's coda shows the main character as an adult 25 years later.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The vicious climax in the house, involving the ultimate parental sacrifice, segues to a coda back in Egypt, where all the threads are satisfyingly tied together. —David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 16 Apr. 2026

Nearly six months later, Portland rallied from a double-digit fourth-quarter deficit Tuesday to beat Phoenix, earn the Western Conference’s seventh seed, set up a first-round playoff matchup against San Antonio and add a coda to what is perhaps the most unusual postseason run in NBA history. —Andrew Greif, NBC news, 15 Apr. 2026

Acidification reduces the pH of seawater, which also diminishes sound absorption, so the stain of ship’s engine noise spreads further, muffling the songs of humpbacks and the codas of sperm whales. —Literary Hub, 9 Apr. 2026

Underwater microphones recorded these codas, allowing the team to track changes in communication in real time. —Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 4 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Italian, literally, tail, from Latin cauda

Abbreviation or noun

child of deaf adults

First Known Use

Noun

1740, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Abbreviation Or Noun

1991, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for coda

• oda
• soda
• toda
• copepoda
• decapoda
• gastropoda
• isopoda
• nematoda
• ostracoda
• pagoda

Kids Definition

coda

noun

co·​da ˈkōd-ə 

: a closing section in a musical composition

Etymology

Noun

Italian, literally, "tail," from Latin coda, cauda "tail" — related to coward, cue entry 3, queue see Word History at coward, queue