barcode

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

barcode / ˈbɑːˌkəʊd/ noun

1. 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

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

ˈbar ˌcode, n. [countable]

1. a series of lines printed on or applied to an item for identification by an optical scanner.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

bar′ code′, 

1. Computing, Business 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. Cf. Universal Product Code.

• 1970–75