Skip to main content

Memory Leak

/mem-rē lēk/

n. An error in a program's dynamic-store allocation logic that causes it to fail to reclaim discarded memory, leading to eventual collapse due to memory exhaustion. Also (esp. at CMU) called core leak.

See aliasing bug, fandango on core, smash the stack, precedence lossage, overrun screw, leaky heap, leak.