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.
Believe it or not, the film's director James Hawes insists Bernthal's secret agent code name was not an intentional call-out to his current run as the late, troubled, elder Berzatto brother Mikey on TV. Sydney Bucksbaum, EW.com, 9 Apr. 2025 Hill, whose code name was Dazzle, was given the highest civilian honor for bravery awarded by the U.S. Treasury Department, which the Secret Service was then a part of. Tim Stelloh, NBC News, 24 Feb. 2025 What To Know The CIA explored mind control techniques during the Cold War under code names MKULTRA, BLUEBIRD and ARTICHOKE. Andy Biggs, Newsweek, 24 Dec. 2024 The university declined to say what the work was for, but two senior UNC officials confirmed last week that the code name referred to conference realignment. Brendan Marks, The Athletic, 20 Feb. 2025 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 29 Apr. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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