Word.ws English Dictionary

dev null

dev null is the alternative form of /dev/null.

Meaning of /dev/null

Proper noun

/dev/null

  1. A device file, present in Unix and Unix-like operating systems such as Linux, that discards all data written to it and yields no output, always presenting as an empty file when read.
    • It's possible to suppress the compiler's warnings by redirecting standard error to /dev/null.
  2. (Internet, figuratively) Nowhere; often suggests an intent to ignore specific correspondence.
    • Thoughtful discussion and criticism is welcomed, but please send all flames to dev null.1992 September 17, Douglas Meier <dmeier@casbah.acns.nwu.edu>, “Welfare Reform Idea”, in talk.politics.misc (Usenet), message-ID <1992Sep17.064757.551@news.acns.nwu.edu>

Questions about dev null

What is dev null the alternative form of?
Dev null is the alternative form of /dev/null.

Words near dev null in the dictionary

  1. Deutz
  2. deutzia
  3. deutzias
  4. Deux-Sèvres
  5. dev
  6. dev null
  7. dev-null
  8. dev.
  9. deva
  10. devachan
  11. devachanic

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: dev null (page history and authors); /dev/null (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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Cite this entry: “dev null.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/dev_null. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.