← GlossaryWas this page helpful?
What does "quicksort" mean in programming?
quicksort 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 fast, in-place sorting algorithm that selects a pivot element and partitions the array into elements smaller and larger than the pivot, then sorts each partition recursively. Average O(n log n), worst case O(n²) with a bad pivot. Used in most standard library sort implementations.
Example
"Quicksort with pivot 5 on [3, 8, 1, 5, 2]: partition into [3, 1, 2] and [8], then sort each."
Can you put this sentence in the right order?
Tap the words to place them here
Keep building your technical English
You just looked up what this word means. Lingua-e turns vocabulary like this into full practice: fill-in-the-blanks, listening, and real developer conversations.
Practice this for free