What does "argument" mean in programming?

argument is one of the most common terms in software development. This guide explains what it means, how it is used in practice, and why it matters, with real examples from the developer world.

Definition

The actual value passed to a function when it is called. Arguments fill in the parameters defined in the function signature. For example, in print('hello'), 'hello' is the argument.

Example

"Pass the user ID as an argument to the getUser function."

Related terms

parameter
function
method
return value
variable

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