- 1[countable, uncountable] (often in compounds) a system of words, letters, numbers, or symbols that represent a message or record information secretly or in a shorter form to break/crack a code (= to understand and read the message) It's written in code. Tap your code number into the machine. In the event of the machine not operating correctly, an error code will appear. see area code, bar code, Morse code, zip code
- 2[uncountable] (computing) a system of computer programming instructions see machine code, source code
- 3[countable] a set of moral principles or rules of behavior that are generally accepted by society or a social group a strict code of conduct see honor code
- 4[countable] a system of laws or written rules that state how people in an institution or a country should behave the penal code see dress code
Check pronunciation: code