as in law
a collection or system of rules of conduct
Hammurabi was an ancient king of Babylon with a famous code of laws the tax code
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Recent Examples of code
Encyclopedia Britannica, 24 Apr. 2026
Just remember to use our special promo code to save on your order.
—Katie Decker-Jacoby, StyleCaster, 24 Apr. 2026
Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 25 Mar. 2026
Improper installation and poor repairs Many home warranty policies exclude problems that result from improper installation, installation that’s not up to code and even issues caused by improper repairs.
—Dan Simms, USA Today, 23 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for code
Noun
The Charter then states the need for an elimination of patents that protect software, medical diagnoses, computer code, educational methods, and other protections of mathematical and scientific processes.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 24 Apr. 2026
Just remember to use our special promo code to save on your order.
—Katie Decker-Jacoby, StyleCaster, 24 Apr. 2026
Verb
An agent can, in theory, be dispatched to code a complete software program, or to plan and book a vacation, or to generate a job listing and select among the people who answer it, without being directed to take each step in the process.
—Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 25 Mar. 2026
Improper installation and poor repairs Many home warranty policies exclude problems that result from improper installation, installation that’s not up to code and even issues caused by improper repairs.
—Dan Simms, USA Today, 23 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for code
Recent Examples of Synonyms for code
Noun
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The internal documents were released only after the Union-Tribune pressed for the records, citing language in Atkins’ law.—
Kelly Davis,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
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Various states have laws that ban people under the age of 21 from purchasing firearms, and there are five pending Supreme Court petitions that challenge a variety of these laws across the country.—
Jack Birle,
The Washington Examiner,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The real challenge from AI will likely emerge in the weeks and months ahead as firms cipher through Judge Mehta’s enforcement of behavioral requirements.—
Tor Constantino,
Forbes.com,
5 Sep. 2025
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An Enigma ciphering machine that was donated to the museum by telecommunications company SIRTI.Photo: Cantalupi, Pavia One of the artifacts from SIRTI collection was a German ciphering machine used in World War II, an Enigma, Savini says.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
11 Feb. 2020
Noun
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Florida’s new districts are certain to face lawsuits as well, especially because the state constitution prohibits redistricting for explicitly partisan purposes.—
Bill Barrow,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Apr. 2026
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But pension protection is written in the state constitution, something not likely to change.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Quantum computers encode information in qubits, described by IBM as the equivalent in a way of the traditional bit used in old-fashioned computers to encode data in binary.—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
16 Apr. 2026
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The neural wave had propagated further, reaching brain areas that encode not just place but social connection.—
Tim Requarth,
Longreads,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Most cloud computing services encrypt data in transit and at rest.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
30 Apr. 2026
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While Musk wants the discussion to be over which encrypted messaging app is the best—XChat vs. Signal vs. WhatsApp—that’s the wrong comparison.—
Reece Rogers,
Wired News,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Code.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/code. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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