dereference

Fetched 2026-10-26 (cache).

Synonyms: deference, reference, preference, coreference, georeference

Antonyms: deference, reference, preference, coreference, georeference

Related words from Datamuse; suggestions, not definitions.

Verb

1. {{lb|en|programming}} To access the [[value]] or [[object]] located in a [[memory]] [[location]] addressed by a [[pointer]] or another [[value]] interpreted as such; to access a [[value]] being [[reference]]d by something else.
2. {{lb|en|computing|[[*nix]]}} To operate on the [[file]] or [[directory]] pointed to by a [[symbolic link]], rather than on the link itself.
3. {{lb|en|computing|[[*nix]]}} To dissolve a [[symbolic link]] by replacing it with a copy of its target.

Noun

1. The act by which something is dereferenced.

Source: Wiktionary · CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wiktionary dump) · cached copy, not a rewrite.