noun

namespace

/ˈneɪmspeɪs/ · say it: NAYM·spayss

a container that keeps names distinct to avoid conflicts

In more detail

1. (noun) a named area or section in a computer program that keeps related code organized and prevents names from conflicting with each other

2. (noun) a group or category of things that are similar or related

Examples

1. In programming, you can declare a namespace to organize your code.
2. The namespace of scientific terms includes words like photosynthesis and mitochondria.

How to use namespace

In programming contexts, namespace is a technical term referring to a declarative region that holds a set of identifiers and helps avoid naming conflicts. In more general usage, it can mean any bounded category or conceptual domain, though this broader sense is less common in standard English. The term is primarily used in formal or technical writing.

Common phrases

global namespace
local namespace
namespace collision
namespace declaration
define a namespace
within a namespace

Synonyms

scope · domain · category · compartment · section

Word family

namespaced (adjective)

A common mistake

Learners sometimes confuse namespace with the broader concept of a data structure; in programming, a namespace is specifically a scoping mechanism, not a data container like an array or hash table.

Learn it for good

Save this word in WordVale and it comes back for review right before you'd forget it — with pronunciation, real examples, and optional translations. One purchase, no subscription.

Get WordValeFREE 7-DAY TRIAL · iPHONE & iPAD