code name

noun

: a designation having a coded and usually secret meaning
code-name transitive verb

Examples of code name in a Sentence

Every secret agent has a code name.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Last month, the Information reported that Meta had scrapped its most advanced chip focused on training AI models, known by the code name Olympus, after struggling with its design, shifting instead to focus on a less complicated version. Bloomberg, Mercury News, 11 Mar. 2026 The musketeer names are code names so that these resistance operatives can keep their real identities secret. Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 11 Mar. 2026 Military operation code names aren't random. Alex Perry, Cincinnati Enquirer, 6 Mar. 2026 In the modern era, code names for operations are a chance for an administration to project an image of how a mission is going. Matt Brown, Fortune, 4 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for code name

Word History

First Known Use

1867, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of code name was in 1867

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Cite this Entry

“Code name.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/code%20name. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.

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