destructive read

noun

A read operation that inherently erases the data that was read, requiring it to be immediately written back to the storage medium to prevent loss of data.

Meanings

noundestructive read (plural destructive reads)

plural destructive reads

  1. attributiveoftencomputingA read operation that inherently erases the data that was read, requiring it to be immediately written back to the storage medium to prevent loss of data.
    1 more example

    Although ferroelectric RAM has many advantages over conventional DRAM, it does share one of DRAM's disadvantages: as with DRAM, reading a FeRAM cell is a destructive read process which erases any data in the cell. When using FeRAM for persistent nonvolatile storage, this destructive-read nature can potentially result in data loss or corruption if power to the device is suddenly lost during a read operation.

Synonyms & antonyms

Cite this entry
APA

destructive read. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/destructive%20read

MLA

“destructive read.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/destructive%20read. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “destructive read,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/destructive%20read.

Source: destructive read on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.