What does "cod" mean?
A type of sea fish or the meat from said fish.; An Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua).
Cod
/kɒd/ adj, name, noun, verb, slang
adj, name, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A type of sea fish or the meat from said fish.; An Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua).
- Grammar: cod is listed as adj, name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: codfish, bag, bait, balls.
- Useful contrasts: bona.
- Usage evidence: Have you ever been to Cape Cod?
How to use "cod"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "cod" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "cod" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "cod" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "cod" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "cod" is acting as adj, name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "codfish" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
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Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "cod", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A type of sea fish or the meat from said fish.; An Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua).
- 2 A small bag or pouch. obsolete
"There is a Cod, or Bag, that groweth commonly in the Fields;"
- 3 A joke or an imitation.
"I assume it all could just be a cod."
- 4 Initialism of cash on delivery or collect on delivery. abbreviation, alt-of, initialism, uncountable
"This development would probably be much facilitated were the Colony to adopt the C.O.D. (collect on delivery) system of the Cape and many other parts of the world."
- 5 major food fish of Arctic and cold-temperate waters wordnet
Show 14 more definitions
- 6 A type of sea fish or the meat from said fish.; A sea fish of the genus Gadus generally, inclusive of Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus) and Greenland cod (Gadus ogac or Gadus macrocephalus ogac).
- 7 A husk or integument; a pod. UK, obsolete
"And he wolde fayne have filled his bely with the coddes, that the swyne ate: and noo man gave hym."
- 8 A stupid or foolish person.
"He's making a right cod of himself."
- 9 Initialism of cause of death. abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism
- 10 lean white flesh of important North Atlantic food fish; usually baked or poached wordnet
- 11 A type of sea fish or the meat from said fish.; A sea fish of the family Gadidae which are sold as "cod", as haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus), and whiting (usually Merlangius merlangus).
- 12 The cocoon of a silkworm.
"As soon as it is arrived at the size and strength necessary for the beginning its cod, it makes its web; this is his first day's employment; on the second he forms his cod, and covers himself almost over with silk; the third day he is quite hid; and the following days employs himself in thickening and strengthening his cod; always working from one single end, which he never breaks himself; and which is so fine, and so long, that those who have nicely examin'd it affirm, that each cod contains silk enough to reach the length of six English miles."
- 13 Initialism of cerebro-ocular dysgenesis. abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism, uncountable
- 14 the vessel that contains the seeds of a plant (not the seeds themselves) wordnet
- 15 A type of sea fish or the meat from said fish.; Other not closely related fish which are similarly important to regional fisheries, as the hapuku and cultus cod. informal, usually
- 16 The scrotum. also, archaic, in-plural
"that which we call castoreum […] are not the same to be termed testicles or stones; for these cods or follicles are found in both sexes, though somewhat more protuberant in the male."
- 17 Initialism of celebrity obsession disorder. abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism, uncountable
- 18 A type of sea fish or the meat from said fish.; Other not closely related fish which resemble the Atlantic cod, such as the rock cod (Lotella rhacina) and blue cod (Parapercis colias). informal, usually
- 19 A pillow or cushion. Scotland, UK, dialectal, obsolete
"Provost Maccalzean, with the silver keys in his hand, and the eldest bailie with the crimson-velvet cod, whereon they were to be delivered to her Majesty, following as fast as any member of a city corporation could be reasonably be expected to do."
Verb
- 1 To attempt to deceive or confuse; to kid. dialectal, slang, transitive
""How are you, Mary?" "I thought your friend Mac was codding me that you would come.""
- 2 harass with persistent criticism or carping wordnet
- 3 To joke; to kid. Ireland, intransitive, slang
"I'm only codding!"
- 4 fool or hoax wordnet
Adjective
- 1 Having the character of imitation; jocular. attributive, in-compounds, usually
"cod psychology"
- 2 Bad. Polari
"Sandy: Right, right, well I'll just open the wardrobe. Oh, here, look—his wardrobe. Ha! Julian: Ha! Oh what a naff lot! Sandy: It is a bit cod isn't it."
Adjective
- 1 payable by the recipient on delivery wordnet
Adverb
- 1 collecting the charges upon delivery wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 Alternative letter-case form of COD (“Call of Duty”). alt-of
- 2 Acronym of Concise Oxford Dictionary. abbreviation, acronym, alt-of
- 3 Acronym of Call of Duty. abbreviation, acronym, alt-of
"Let's go over to my house and play some COD."
Antonyms
Example
"Have you ever been to Cape Cod?"
Common questions
What is a synonym for "cod"?
Common synonyms include: codfish, bag, bait, balls, basket, beard.
How do you use "cod" in a sentence?
Have you ever been to Cape Cod?
How do you pronounce "cod"?
Pronounced /kɒd/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English cod, codde, of uncertain origin: * Oldest English form cotfich as a surname in the 13th century; for more see cot (“chamber, cottage”). * A bag or pouch, related to its bloated shape; see Etymology 2 below. * From Latin gadus, from Ancient Greek γάδος (gádos, “cod”) with a possible pre-Greek or Semitic origin; for more see Atargatis, Cetus, and κῆτος (kêtos).
Etymology 2
From Middle English cod, codde, from Old English cod, codd (“bag, pouch”), from Proto-Germanic *kuddô, from Proto-Indo-European *gewt- (“pouch, sack”), from *gew- (“to bend, bow, arch, vault, curve”). Cognate with Scots cod, codd, coad, kod (“pillow, cushion”), Low German Koden, Kon (“belly, paunch”), Middle Dutch codde (“scrotum”), Danish kodde (“testicle”), Swedish kudde (“cushion”), Faroese koddi (“pillow”), Icelandic koddi (“pillow”).
Etymology 3
Origin unknown. Attested in reference to a person (though not always a stupid or foolish person) from the end of the 17th century. The Oxford English Dictionary (1891) notes that a suggested link to codger is unlikely, as cod appears much earlier.
Etymology 4
Abbreviation.