1. dereference - Noun
2. dereference - Verb
(programming) To access the value or object located in a memory location stored in a pointer or another value interpreted as such; to access a value being referenced by something else.
Attempting to dereference a null pointer often results in a crash.
(computing, in operating systems derived from Unix) To operate on the file or directory pointed to by a symbolic link, rather than on the link itself.
With the find command, any symbolic links appearing after -follow will be dereferenced.
Synonyms: follow, resolve
dereference (plural dereferences)
The act by which something is dereferenced.