any of several soft-rayed food fishes of the family Gadidae, especially Gadus morhua, of North Atlantic waters.
a closely related fish, Gadus macrocephalus, of the North Pacific Ocean.
any of several unrelated fishes, as rockfishes of the genus Sebastes.
any of the gadoid food fishes of the genus Gadus, esp G. morhua (or G. callarias ), which occurs in the North Atlantic and has a long body with three rounded dorsal fins: family Gadidae . They are also a source of cod-liver oil
any other fish of the family Gadidae See gadid
any of various unrelated Australian fish, such as the Murray cod
cash on delivery
(in the US) collect on delivery
dialect a pod or husk
an obsolete word for scrotum
obsolete a bag or envelope
slang to make fun of; tease
slang to play a trick on; fool
slang a hoax or trick
slang a fraud; hoaxer
he's an old cod
What does C. O. D. mean? C. O. D. is an abbreviation for cash on delivery, referring to an arrangement in which payment for a purchase is made directly by the purchaser to the person who delivers the item. C. O. D. can also stand for collect on delivery, meaning the same thing. That’s because C. O. D. doesn’t necessarily always mean that actual cash (paper money) is required (though it often used to mean this). Sometimes, a check, money order, or credit card payment will be accepted as C. O. D. C. O. D. can be used as a noun, as in Sorry, we don’t accept C. O. D.s. It can also be used as an adverb, as in We’re shipping it C. O. D.; as an adjective, as in Our C. O. D. orders are behind schedule; and in other variations. Although the term can be spelled without periods, they’re usually included to make it clear that the term is an abbreviation. Example: Most of our shipments are done C. O. D., and we have a high percentage of successful payments.
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English; origin uncertain
First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English codd; akin to Old Norse koddi “pillow”
An Americanism dating back to 1855–60
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Phil Taylor, director of Open Seas, says those areas are important nursery grounds for young fish, such as cod, where they can hide from predators.
From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026
They have a black cod sushi, and the black cod is slightly seared.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2026
Arley Harriman, a retired advertising executive living in Delavan, Wisc., said she loves Culver’s service and cleanliness, plus the quality of its cod sandwiches and custard ice cream.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
There is something about cold rice and then this slightly seared, slightly burned black cod.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2026
It was the sleeve of my own bathrobe I was looking at, and my left hand lay pale as a cod at the end of it.
From "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath
“For graduation, she sent me a suit of clothes C.O.D. - cash on delivery,” he said.
From Washington Times ● Oct. 23, 2017
“For graduation, she sent me a suit of clothes C.O.D. — cash on delivery,” he said.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 22, 2017
Customers called in orders, and he delivered C.O.D.
From New York Times ● Apr. 15, 2011
The Good Book, of course, is a C.O.D. present ordered by the deceased.
From Time Magazine Archive
That was the gang of organized boosters, who would deliver, to order, in one day, C.O.D., any kind of garment you desired.
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
Image: Activision Warzone Warzone is the most important new variable Activision and its studios have to contend with with the launch of a new COD game this fall.
From The Verge ● Aug. 26, 2020
Back home in Ormond Beach, we play a lot of COD, a great team game.
From Golf Digest ● Jun. 25, 2019
Usually when you first sign up with Diamond, you write a COD check or whatever to get your comics delivered to your store.
From Slate ● Nov. 2, 2017
Of course, the staple of COD are robust multiplayer matches.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 5, 2015
Inspired by the Defiance Campaign, the COD was formed in late 1952 as a party for radical, left-wing, antigovernment whites.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Proceeds from selling their New Jersey home and a smaller vacation home in Falmouth, which is on Cape Cod, more than covered the nearly $2 million purchase price.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
Not Nantucket or Cape Cod, but the summertime refuge for Manhattan’s wealthy.
From Salon ● Jun. 18, 2026
The biggest concern remains the Snacks division, which includes brands such as Goldfish, Snyder’s of Hanover, and Cape Cod.
From Barron's ● Jun. 7, 2026
Cod and chips have been a favourite Friday night order for generations of Britons.
From BBC ● Jun. 5, 2026
In May 2005, the Links sold their house in Alpharetta for $420,000 and bought a Cape Cod in Charlotte for $627,500.
From "Class Matters" by The New York Times
"They'll order two cods and one chips to share, I think that's their way of trying to save their money."
From BBC ● May 13, 2026
These clever cods honed their technique through hundreds of “tests”—and it became a finely tuned series of goal-directed, coordinated movements.
From Scientific American ● Jun. 8, 2017
Apparently some of the cods discovered they could activate the feeder by hooking the loop onto their tag and swimming a short distance away.
From Scientific American ● Jun. 8, 2017
In May 2014 a study highlighted an example of innovative tool use by Atlantic cods being held in captivity for aquaculture research.
From Scientific American ● Jun. 8, 2017
A cart load of cods weighed by means of a double steel yard, one below and suspended from the other.
From A Journey to America in 1834 by Heywood, Robert
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
