COD.
1 Americanabbreviation
noun
PLURAL
codPLURAL
cods-
any of several soft-rayed food fishes of the family Gadidae, especially Gadus morhua, of North Atlantic waters.
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a closely related fish, Gadus macrocephalus, of the North Pacific Ocean.
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any of several unrelated fishes, as rockfishes of the genus Sebastes.
noun
abbreviation
noun
-
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
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any other fish of the family Gadidae See gadid
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any of various unrelated Australian fish, such as the Murray cod
noun
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dialect a pod or husk
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an obsolete word for scrotum
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obsolete a bag or envelope
noun
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012verb
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slang to make fun of; tease
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slang to play a trick on; fool
noun
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slang a hoax or trick
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slang a fraud; hoaxer
he's an old cod
adjective
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012noun
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012abbreviation
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cash on delivery
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(in the US) collect on delivery
Usage
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.
Etymology
Origin of cod1
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English; origin uncertain
Origin of cod1
First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English codd; akin to Old Norse koddi “pillow”
Origin of C.O.D.1
An Americanism dating back to 1855–60
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Records showed that complaints were filed since last Friday against C.O.D.
From Washington Times
“For graduation, she sent me a suit of clothes C.O.D. - cash on delivery,” he said.
From Washington Times
“For graduation, she sent me a suit of clothes C.O.D. — cash on delivery,” he said.
From Seattle Times
“When the wall arrives on the southern border, we shut the lights, we pretend we’re not home. It’s C.O.D. Mexico has to sign for it. Boom. They pay for it. Done.”
From Seattle Times
“It’s C.O.D.; Mexico has to sign for it.”
From New York Times
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.