code

code is part of the Academic Word List. It is important for students in college and university.

Noun

Singular code

Plural codes

1. (countable) A code is a set of rules or laws.

   Children usually learn their parents' moral code.

   Section 244(1) (a) of the Canadian Criminal Code defines assault.

2. (countable & uncountable) A code is a way of storing or sending information, often secretly or in a way that is readable by computers.

   Microsoft has also licensed Windows source code to companies such as Citrix Systems.

   In World War II, mathematicians and scientists broke the enemy's secret code.

Synonyms

• cypher
• language

Verb

Plain form code

Third-person singular codes

Past tense coded

Past participle coded

Present participle coding

1. (transitive & intransitive) If something is coded, it is written or stored in a code.

   The completed questionnaires were coded by two people.

   The wide variety of proteins in the cells are all coded for by the genes in the nucleus.

Related words

• encode
• decode