barcode

or bar code

[ bahr-kohd ]
/ ˈbɑrˌkoʊd /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR barcode ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a series of lines of varying width, printed, as on a container or product, that can be read by an optical scanner to determine charges for purchases, destinations for letters, etc. Compare Universal Product Code.

verb (used with object), bar·cod·ed, bar·cod·ing.

to put a barcode on.

Origin of barcode

1970–75; bar1 (in the sense of “a band or strip”) + code

Words nearby barcode

barchan, barchan dune, barchester towers, barclay, barclay de tolly, barcode, barcoo river, barcoo salute, bard, bard of avon, bardacious

Words related to bar code

UPC

British Dictionary definitions for bar code

bar code

noun

commerce a machine-readable arrangement of numbers and parallel lines of different widths printed on a package, which can be electronically scanned at a checkout to register the price of the goods and to activate computer stock-checking and reordering Also called: Universal Product Code, UPC

Cultural definitions for bar code

bar code

A series of parallel lines that can be read by an optical scanner and decoded by a computer into usable information. The ten-line Universal Product Code (UPC) on the packaging of retail items is an example of this. The key to this code is the variation in line thickness and separation.