Word.ws English Dictionary

Klaatu barada nikto

Klaatu barada nikto phrase: a stock science-fiction phrase, typically used as a code or shibboleth.

Phrase

Klaatu barada nikto

  1. A stock science-fiction phrase, typically used as a code or shibboleth.
    • If anything should happen to me you must go to Gort, you must say these words, 'Klaatu barada nikto', please repeat that.1951, The Day the Earth Stood Still
    • When I tried to make out the lingo I felt like a missionary among the heathen chinee. ¶ 'Interavesting per sliptimper transgratisfy allayvoo —' ¶ 'Not the old klaatu barada again,' I said ....2002, Jack Womack, Going, Going, Gone, Grove Press, page 160

Examples of Klaatu barada nikto in a sentence

  • This is a legitimate club." ¶ "Klaatu barada nikto," I said, but it went straight past him.2003, Paul McAuley, Whole Wide World, Macmillan, page 215:
  • The Systems Analysis department featured a clock with only one hand and the motto Klaatu barada nikto, which, roughly translated, means: "IF IT AIN'T BROKE, JUST GIVE ME TIME."2004, James Hold, Out of Texas, iUniverse, page 56:
  • Clarke, a space station that had ... fallen to earth .... ¶ "Klaatu barada nikto," he muttered.2012, Terry Bisson, Any Day Now, Penguin, page ??:

Origin of Klaatu barada nikto

From the 1951 film The Day the Earth Stood Still, in which an alien named Klaatu tells an Earthwoman a code phrase for his robot Gort. See first citation.

Questions about Klaatu barada nikto

What does Klaatu barada nikto mean?
Klaatu barada nikto means a stock science-fiction phrase, typically used as a code or shibboleth.
How do you use Klaatu barada nikto in a sentence?
This is a legitimate club." ¶ "Klaatu barada nikto," I said, but it went straight past him.
What part of speech is Klaatu barada nikto?
Klaatu barada nikto is a phrase.

Words near Klaatu barada nikto in the dictionary

  1. KL
  2. kl.
  3. KL5
  4. Klaassen
  5. Klaassens
  6. Klaatu barada nikto
  7. Klabautermann
  8. Klabee
  9. Klabees
  10. Klaberjass
  11. Klabunde

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: Klaatu barada nikto (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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