identifier

n. countable

B2 Upper Intermediate US //aɪˈdɛntəˌfaɪɝ// UK //aɪdˈɛntɪfˌaɪə// iden·ti·fi·er

n. a unique name or label used to recognize a specific person or thing. In computing, it is the name you give to a variable or a piece of data.

n. a sequence of characters used to uniquely distinguish an entity within a specific system or context. In programming, it refers to the user-defined name of a variable, function, or class.

SIMPLE

Each user has a unique identifier in the database.

CONTEXTUAL

The compiler threw an error because the identifier started with a number, which violates the language's naming rules.

COMPLEX

To maintain data integrity across the distributed system, the architecture assigns a globally unique identifier to every transaction, ensuring no two records can ever be confused during synchronization.

Origin

From identify + -er.

Usage

Commonly used in technical contexts; often abbreviated as 'ID' in informal speech or documentation.