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Glite Dictionary
⏸️ A do-nothing command ⏸️ To do nothing
noop

noop

9.9
A computer instruction that does nothing
  • noun
  • /nuːˌɑːp/
  • Specialized
translation icon : no-op
  • The programmer used a noop instruction to ensure the code would not produce any changes during testing.

Examples

  • It's one thing we could do is use the NOOP instruction, which doesn't do anything, but it does take some time to execute.

  • When the script encounters a noop, it simply continues to execute the next instruction without effect.

  • In computer programming, a noop is often utilized to maintain the timing of operations without altering the state.

Surface Forms

noop singular
noops plural

Morphology

noop = operation (transparent) = no + operation

The word is a straightforward negation 'no' combined with 'operation', yielding 'an operation that does nothing', which is easily understood from the components.

Etymology

Noop is short for no-op, from no and operation meaning 'no operation'. In computing it is an instruction that does nothing, like a silent step that keeps a program's timing or place.