compile-time

noun

UK /kəmˈpaɪl taɪm/

US /kəmˈpaɪl taɪm/

Compile-time is the moment when a computer turns your code into a program, before the program starts running.

The error was caught at compile-time, so the program never even started.

SYNONYMS

build time translation time assembly time code-generation time

RELATED WORDS

compiler runtime source code syntax error build process

OTHER MEANINGS

2. The period during which source code is checked and converted into machine code or bytecode.

Many type checks happen at compile-time rather than at runtime.

3. A phase in software development where errors are detected before execution.

Catching bugs at compile-time is usually cheaper than fixing them later.

4. Used as an adjective to describe something decided or known while the program is being built.

The compiler resolved the constant at compile-time.