Underscore: meaning, definitions and examples

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underscore

 

[ ˈʌndərˌskɔːr ]

Noun / Verb
Context #1 | Noun

computer programming

A character (_) used to connect words or parts of a word.

Synonyms

low line, underline

Examples of usage

  • Variable names in programming languages often use underscores to separate words, like my_variable.
  • In URLs, underscores are commonly used to replace spaces, for example, in file names.
Context #2 | Verb

computer programming

To replace spaces in a text with underscores.

Synonyms

replace, substitute

Examples of usage

  • Before saving the file, make sure to underscore spaces in the file name.
  • Some programming languages automatically underscore spaces in URLs.

Translations

Translations of the word "underscore" in other languages:

🇵🇹 sublinhado

🇮🇳 अंडरस्कोर

🇩🇪 Unterstrich

🇮🇩 garis bawah

🇺🇦 підкреслення

🇵🇱 podkreślenie

🇯🇵 アンダースコア

🇫🇷 souligner

🇪🇸 guion bajo

🇹🇷 alt çizgi

🇰🇷 밑줄

🇸🇦 تسطير

🇨🇿 podtržítko

🇸🇰 podčiarknutie

🇨🇳 下划线

🇸🇮 podčrtaj

🇮🇸 undirstrik

🇰🇿 астынғы сызықша

🇬🇪 ქვედახაზი

🇦🇿 alt xətt

🇲🇽 guion bajo

Etymology

The use of underscore as a character to connect words dates back to the typewriter era when it was used to underline text. In computer programming, the underscore character became popular as a way to represent spaces in variable names and file names, as spaces are not allowed in these contexts. The verb form of underscore, meaning to replace spaces with underscores, emerged from this usage.

See also: scoreboard, scorecard, scoreless, scorer, scores, scoring.

Word Frequency Rank

With rank #17,647, this word belongs to specialized vocabulary. While not common in everyday speech, it enriches your ability to express complex ideas.