binary search

noun

A search for a value within a sorted array by repeatedly comparing the target value with the middle element; if they are unequal, the half in which the target cannot lie is eliminated and the comparison is repeated on the remaining half.

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Meanings

nounbinary search (countable and uncountable, plural binary searches)

plural binary searches

  1. countableuncountablecomputerA search for a value within a sorted array by repeatedly comparing the target value with the middle element; if they are unequal, the half in which the target cannot lie is eliminated and the comparison is repeated on the remaining half.

Translations

Arabic بَحْث ثُنَائِيّ
  • بَحْث ثُنَائِيّ (baḥṯ ṯunāʔiyy)search for a value
Esperanto duoniga serĉo
  • duoniga serĉosearch for a value
Cite this entry
APA

binary search. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/binary%20search

MLA

“binary search.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/binary%20search. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “binary search,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/binary%20search.

Source: binary search on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.