Hyrum's law

proper noun

An observation regarding the likelihood of breaking changes to a public interface, stating that, given a sufficiently popular system, any observable behavior — even if it is not guaranteed by contract — will be depended upon by some user.

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Meanings

proper noun
  1. computingAn observation regarding the likelihood of breaking changes to a public interface, stating that, given a sufficiently popular system, any observable behavior — even if it is not guaranteed by contract — will be depended upon by some user.

Origin

Named after software developer Hyrum Wright.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Hyrum's law. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Hyrum's%20law

MLA

“Hyrum's law.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Hyrum's%20law. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Hyrum's law,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Hyrum's%20law.

Source: Hyrum's law on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.