garbage collector
noun- the mayor of Maycomb asked us to please help the garbage collector by dumping our own trees and trash.1960 July 11, Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird, Philadelphia, Pa.; New York, N.Y.: J[oshua] B[allinger] Lippincott Company, →OCLC:
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Computing, Engineering, Mathematics, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Programming, Sciences An algorithm, procedure or thread dedicated to garbage collection: reclaiming resources which are no longer in use.
- Java uses a technique known as garbage collection to remove objects that are no longer needed. The garbage collector is Java's grim reaper.2002, Patrick Niemeyer, Jonathan Knudsen, Learning Java, O'Reilly, →ISBN, page 135:
- Synonyms
- bin man, dustman, garbage man, garbo, refuse collector, sanitation engineer, trashman, Kabaadi, binman, garbage collector, garbageman, trash man
- Related terms
- garbage collect, garbage collection
- Hyponyms
- dustwoman