Phrase guide

Morse code

noun · 2 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

A character code represented by dots and dashes (or short and long pulses), originally used to send messages by telegraph, later by flashes of light or by radio.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: communications, electrical-engineering, engineering, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, telecommunications

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: iddy-umpty, Morse alphabet

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

a telegraph code in which letters and numbers are represented by strings of dots and dashes (short and long signals)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: Morse, international Morse code

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: code

History

Etymology

Named for its inventor, Samuel Morse.

Across languages

Translations

43 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Albanian: abetare morze — character code
  • Arabic: شِفْرَة مُورْس (šifrat murs) — character code
  • Catalan: codi Morse — character code
  • Chinese Mandarin: 摩爾斯電碼 /摩尔斯电码 (Mó'ěrsī diànmǎ) — character code
  • Chinese Mandarin: 莫斯電碼 /莫斯电码 (Mòsī diànmǎ) — character code
  • Chinese Mandarin: 莫士碼 /莫士码 (Mòshì-mǎ) — character code
  • Dutch: morsecode — character code
  • Dutch: morsealfabet — character code
  • Esperanto: morsa kodo — character code
  • Esperanto: morskodo — character code
  • Estonian: morsetähestik — character code
  • Finnish: Morsen aakkoset — character code
  • Finnish: morseaakkoset — character code
  • French: code Morse — character code
  • French: alphabet Morse — character code
  • Galician: morse — character code
  • Galician: código morse — character code
  • Georgian: მორზეს ანბანი (morzes anbani) — character code
  • Georgian: მორზეს კოდი (morzes ḳodi) — character code
  • German: Morsecode — character code
  • German: Morsealphabet — character code
  • Greek: κώδικας Μορς (kódikas Mors) — character code
  • Greek: αλφάβητο Μορς (alfávito Mors) — character code
  • Hebrew: קוד מורס — character code
  • Italian: codice Morse — character code
  • Italian: alfabeto Morse — character code
  • Japanese: モールス信号 (Mōrusu-shingō) — character code
  • Macedonian: Мо́рзеова азбука (Mórzeova azbuka) — character code
  • Malay: kod Morse — character code
  • Mongolian: Морзын код (Morzyn kod) — character code
  • Norwegian Bokmål: morsealfabet — character code
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: morsealfabet — character code
  • Polish: kod Morse’a — character code
  • Polish: alfabet Morse’a — character code
  • Portuguese: código morse — character code
  • Romanian: codul Morse — character code
  • Romanian: alfabetul Morse — character code
  • Russian: а́збука Мо́рзе (ázbuka Mórze) — character code
  • Russian: код Мо́рзе (kod Mórze) — character code
  • Spanish: código Morse — character code
  • Spanish: alfabeto Morse — character code
  • Vietnamese: mã Moóc-xơ — character code
  • Vietnamese: mã Morse — character code