code

noun

\ ˈkōd

plural codes

Definition of code

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : a systematic statement of a body of law especially : one given statutory force

2 : a system of principles or rules moral code

3a : a system of signals or symbols for communication

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

c : coded language : a word or phrase chosen in place of another word or phrase in order to communicate an attitude or meaning without stating it explicitly The strategy also appealed to blue-collar workers in the Northeast and Northwest who were opposed to "forced bussing." This was expressed in code as favoring "law and order" and opposing "crime in the streets."— Elizabeth Drew —usually used with for I hear the word "development" a lot in public speech; politicians and activists use it as code for a lot of things—jobs, health care, a change in leadership.— Sallie TisdaleThis quarter-century of Republican momentum was reversed finally by Bill Clinton, who called himself a "New Democrat," code for "not a liberal."— Joshua Muravchik

4 : genetic code

5 : instructions for a computer (as within a piece of software) writing code for a new app

code

verb

coded; coding

Definition of code (Entry 2 of 2)

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.

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Other Words from code

Noun

codeless \ ˈkōd-ləs

\ adjective

Verb

codable \ ˈkō-də-bəl

\ adjective

coder noun

Examples of code in a Sentence

Noun

Everyone in the organization has to follow its code of ethics. The army has a strict code of conduct. The enemy was unable to break the army's secret code. The message was sent in code. Every item in the store has a product code. Enter your security code to access the computer. Each employee is given a code number. He was hired to write programming code.

Verb

The general sent a coded message. Each product has been coded.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Or, better yet, the Democrats should recognize that no historical precedents can prepare them for a world in which a lawless carnival-barker cum real-estate hustler has been entrusted with the codes to nuclear weapons. — Walter Shapiro, The New Republic, "1998 Was a Seinfeld Election—Not an Impeachment Referendum," 6 June 2019 The consumer can then scan the code to see where the fish was caught, manufactured, processed and how it was transported to the shop. — Nell Lewis, CNN, "Could blockchain help you become a more ethical shopper?," 5 June 2019 For the newbie there are instructions on how to read from right to left, how to decipher the codes embedded in the speech bubbles, and introductions to famous artists and important texts. — L.m., The Economist, "A magnificent exhibition of manga at the British Museum," 5 June 2019 The developers then obfuscated the decryption key within the code through a series of functions buried in a package named com.android.utils.hades.sdk. — Dan Goodin, Ars Technica, "238 Google Play apps with >440 million installs made phones nearly unusable," 4 June 2019 The proposal would add a new section to the student code of conduct to specify off campus conduct that substantially disrupts school activities could result in a student being sent to alternative school or expelled. — al.com, "Hoover trying to end hate speech that disrupts school," 4 June 2019 Github user mrquart took the data and plotted it into a chart (the code for the chart is available here) and many fans shared the graphic on Twitter. — Kayleigh Roberts, Marie Claire, "'Game of Thrones' Dialogue Data Reveals How Little Characters Spoke in Later Seasons," 26 May 2019 The tiny French village of Plougastel-Daoulas is offering 2,000 euros (around $2,240) to the first person who can decipher the code found on the town’s version of the Rosetta Stone, a rock that washed up on the beach a few years ago. — Andrew Daniels, Popular Mechanics, "Can You Solve the Cryptic Code on This Ancient Rock?," 14 May 2019 The code can be managed in the Azure cloud as developers log onto a website and send data from relevant databases to and from the Quorum network. — Sara Castellanos, WSJ, "JPMorgan, Microsoft Team Up on Blockchain," 2 May 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Thanks to specimens supplied by the Harvard Herbarium, the interdisciplinary team was able to code the fragrance genes of the extinct flowers, fill in genome gaps with surviving plant DNA, and inject the code into yeast to fabricate scent microbes. — Jill Kiedaisch, Popular Mechanics, "You Can Now Smell a Flower That Went Extinct a Century Ago," 16 Apr. 2019 Taylor Swift superfans cracked this Da Swifty code way back in February, when the singer embedded some Illuminati-level clues into Instagram posts. — Marie Claire, "Taylor Swift Superfans Called Her Big April 26 Announcement Months Ago," 13 Apr. 2019 Great Day: An owner presents a car with a drivability problem that won’t code (there’s no stored diagnostic trouble code). — Roy Berendsohn, Popular Mechanics, "How to Become a Skilled Tradesperson," 13 Mar. 2019 And only a savvy programmer or a really dedicated DIY enthusiast will likely use a Vector to set up complex IFTTT operations or code a neat function of their own. — Nick Statt, The Verge, "Anki Vector review: modern-day Tamagotchi," 5 Nov. 2018 Sometimes the girls code computer graphics that complement the dance and are projected onto the stage; other times, the students wear costumes with programmable lights that flash or change color depending on the wearer's movements. — Shay Maunz, Glamour, "STEM From Dance Is Using Dance to Turn Teen Girls Into Coders," 7 Dec. 2018 Of course, every good doctor can code-switch to some degree, and today the old dichotomies break down. — Laura Kolbe, WSJ, "‘Under the Knife’ Review: The Kindest Cuts," 14 Nov. 2018 Here, Aphrodice Mutangana, the 33-year-old general manager of the K-Lab, spends his weekends teaching 9- to 15-year-olds to code. — Gabriele Steinhauser, WSJ, "Rwanda: A Poster Child for Development With a Dark Side," 6 Nov. 2018 That way, a developer can run Linux apps and tools within a terminal window, with the goal of helping app makers code Android software on a Chromebook, as noted by 9to5Google. — Nick Statt, The Verge, "Google releases Chrome OS 69 with new Material Theme design and Linux support," 18 Sep. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'code.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

9 Jun 2019

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Time Traveler for code

The first known use of code was in the 14th century

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More Definitions for code

code

noun

English Language Learners Definition of code

(Entry 1 of 2)

: a set of laws or regulations

: a set of ideas or rules about how to behave

: a set of letters, numbers, symbols, etc., that is used to secretly send messages to someone

code

verb

English Language Learners Definition of code (Entry 2 of 2)

: to put (a message) into the form of a code so that it can be kept secret

: to mark (something) with a code so that it can be identified

: to change (information) into a set of letters, numbers, or symbols that can be read by a computer

See the full definition for code in the English Language Learners Dictionary

code

noun

\ ˈkōd

Kids Definition of code

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : a system of rules or principles a code of conduct

2 : a system of signals or letters and symbols with special meanings used for sending messages

3 : a collection of laws criminal code

4 : genetic code

5 : a set of instructions for a computer

code

verb

coded; coding

Kids Definition of code (Entry 2 of 2)

: to put in the form of a code

code

noun

\ ˈkōd

Medical Definition of code

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : genetic code

2 : code blue

code

verb

coded; coding

Medical Definition of code (Entry 2 of 2)

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, November 1986

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code

noun

Legal Definition of code

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