cuckoo hashing

noun

A scheme for resolving hash collisions, using two hash functions instead of one, and allowing a newly inserted key to "kick out" any existing key at the same index.

Meanings

nouncuckoo hashing (uncountable)
  1. uncountablecomputerA scheme for resolving hash collisions, using two hash functions instead of one, and allowing a newly inserted key to "kick out" any existing key at the same index.

Origin

Referring to the behaviour of some cuckoo chicks, which push other eggs or young out of the nest.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

cuckoo hashing. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cuckoo%20hashing

MLA

“cuckoo hashing.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cuckoo%20hashing. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cuckoo hashing,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cuckoo%20hashing.

Source: cuckoo hashing on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.