code word

noun

Definition of code wordnext
as in dead metaphor

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of code word The mention of a cover proved to be the code word, triggering the attention of the girl who introduced herself in a childlike whisper as Norma Jeane Dougherty. — Joshua John Miller, HollywoodReporter, 5 June 2026 When the MPKs didn’t know the Marines’ secret code word, the Marines slaughtered them and then shrugged and walked away from all their dead bodies to stay on mission (as in, kill more Marsies). — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 29 May 2026 To coordinate events in real time, the team used code words and hand signals. — Justin Ray, Los Angeles Times, 26 May 2026 For our district, seniority has become a code word for stagnation. — Baltimore Sun Staff, Baltimore Sun, 20 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for code word
Recent Examples of Synonyms for code word
  1. dead metaphor
  2. analogy
  3. simile
  4. euphemism
  5. metaphor
  6. circumlocution
Noun
  • The media are somewhat responsible, so apologies for beating a dead metaphor.
    — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 7 May 2026
  • This shift reminds us that dead metaphors aren’t always terminally dead.
    — Rob Nixon, Smithsonian, 23 Mar. 2018
Definition of dead metaphor
Noun
  • The scene serves as an intimate and visceral analogy to the more diffuse horrors of war.
    — Joshua Yaffa, New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2026
  • In this analogy, Anderson would be ironing out logistics like camera angles or lighting.
    — Laura Zornosa, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of analogy
Noun
  • In this way, simile and metaphor stretch beyond what’s possible to bring us closer to what’s true.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Isla’s mother, Chloe Howell, said the tween loves to crack jokes at home and came up with the funny simile herself.
    — Erin Clack, PEOPLE, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of simile
Noun
  • Coolly, Violet responds that to avoid alarming the public, a few agitators have beenneutralized—now there’s a sticky euphemism—and their deaths passed off as revenge killings among drug traffickers.
    — J. B. MacKinnon, Harpers Magazine, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Orwell was exploring the roles that euphemism, tangled syntax, and dying metaphors can play in obscuring the true intentions of a totalitarian state.
    — Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of euphemism
Noun
  • Most composers settle for metaphor when conveying the elements.
    — Shauna Lyon, New Yorker, 30 Oct. 2026
  • The room went still, and nobody asked him to explain the metaphor.
    — Amanda Connelly, Forbes.com, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of metaphor
Noun
  • But in terms of its actual content, the statement was pretty thin gruel, bristling with public relations-style circumlocution and vagueness.
    — Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 27 Jan. 2026
  • Here, instead, she’s swayed by a dead Diana softly squeezing her hand and kindly hinting — the dead Diana is an ace at tactful circumlocution — that now is the time to show a mourning nation some emotion.
    — Tom Gliatto, Peoplemag, 16 Nov. 2023
Definition of circumlocution

Browse Nearby Words

codevelopers
code word
code words
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Cite this Entry

“Code word.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/code%20word. Accessed 10 Nov. 2026.

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