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What does "priority queue" mean in programming?
priority queue 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
A queue where each element has a priority and the element with the highest (or lowest) priority is always dequeued first, regardless of insertion order. Usually implemented with a heap. Used in Dijkstra's algorithm, task schedulers, and event simulation.
Example
"A priority queue processes the highest-priority support ticket first, not the oldest one."
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