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whitespace

whitespace

1 4.0
Characters like spaces, tabs, or newlines that separate words
  • noun
  • /ˈwaɪtˌspeɪs/
  • Specialized
translation icon : espacio en blanco
  • Whatever your project's specific policy on whitespaces is (tabs vs. spaces, etc.), the most important rule should always be consistency.

Examples

  • Clean and easy-to-read syntax (including the freedom to use whitespace that will not show up in output).

    Blog text (10)

  • Changes to whitespaces may be more or less invisible to the naked eye, but Git and co. register them anyway.

    Blog text (1)

  • Next week, users will be able to see changes to their contacts page, which includes the removal of some whitespace.

    Blog text (25)

  • Here are some simple ways to automate how you deal with whitespaces in Eclipse.

    Blog text (1)

  • Hmmm, I'd argue that languages with whitespace, such as Haskell or Python, already have a mix of textual and visual forms of specification.

    Blog text (8)

  • In programming, extra whitespace can affect code readability and layout.

  • When typing, make sure there are no extra whitespace characters at the end of your sentences.

  • Some text editors allow you to display all whitespace characters, making it easier to format your document.

Synonyms

space
vswhitespace
76 1.0

A blank area between words when writing or typing

includes tabs and newlines and refers to invisible characters often ignored by computers
blank space
vswhitespace
3 1.6

An empty area for writing or filling in information

refers to characters in text that create gaps rather than empty fields

Antonyms

content
∞ 3.3

The information inside something like a book or website

Surface Forms

whitespace singular
whitespaces plural

Morphology

whitespace = white + space (transparent) = white + space

A straightforward compound of 'white' + 'space' meaning blank characters or gaps in text that learners can derive from the parts.

Etymology

Whitespace comes from white ('blank' area on a page) and space ('gap'), which gives the image of empty places between words. So in text and code it means the invisible characters, like spaces, tabs, or newlines, that make those gaps and are often ignored by computers.