What does "higher-order function" mean in programming?
higher-order function 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 function that takes one or more functions as arguments, returns a function, or both. Higher-order functions are a core concept in functional programming. map(), filter(), and reduce() are the classic examples: they take a callback function and apply it to a collection.
Example
"Array.map() is a higher-order function: it takes a callback and returns a new array with the callback applied to each element."
Related terms
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