Word.ws English Dictionary

deallocate

UK/diːˈæləkeɪt/

deallocate verb: to remove from the set of resources put aside for (allocated to) a particular user or purpose.

Verb

deallocate (third-person singular simple present deallocates, present participle deallocating, simple past and past participle deallocated)

  1. (transitive) To remove from the set of resources put aside for (allocated to) a particular user or purpose.
    • Empty out your locker; it will be deallocated at the end of the day.
  2. (transitive) To return previously allocated memory.
    • Computer programs should deallocate memory they no longer need, releasing it back to the system.
    • Similarly, the program deallocates storage for automatic objects when the procedure returns to its caller.2010, Randall Hyde, The Art of Assembly Language, 2nd edition, No Starch Press, →ISBN, page 267

Forms of deallocate

third-person singular presentdeallocates
present participledeallocating
past participledeallocated
pastdeallocated

Origin of deallocate

From de- + allocate.

Questions about deallocate

What does deallocate mean?
Deallocate means to remove from the set of resources put aside for (allocated to) a particular user or purpose.
What part of speech is deallocate?
Deallocate is a verb.
How do you pronounce deallocate?
Deallocate is pronounced /diːˈæləkeɪt/ (UK).
What is the past tense of deallocate?
The past tense of deallocate is deallocated.

Words near deallocate in the dictionary

  1. deallergization
  2. deallergize
  3. deallergized
  4. deallergizes
  5. deallergizing
  6. deallocate
  7. deallocated
  8. deallocates
  9. deallocating
  10. deallocation
  11. deallocations

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: deallocate (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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