Phrase guide

code yellow

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

The situation where a person urinates in an undesirable location (e.g. hospital bed or retail store), requiring cleanup.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: humorous, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Perhaps originally a code used for this situation in some hospitals, or named in imitation of hospital codes and in reference to the yellow colour of urine. (Hospitals today use code yellow for various things including an emergency requiring all personnel to report to the hospital, a bomb threat requiring all personnel to evacuate the hospital, an indication that a patient should be prioritized, an animal being loose, etc.)