regular expression

[/ˈreɡjələr ɪkˈspreʃən/]
nounpl: regular expressions
expressão regular
1. A sequence of characters that define a search pattern, typically used to find, match, or replace strings in text processing and programming
The regular expression '^[a-z]+@[a-z]+\.[a-z]{2,}$' validates email addresses.
A expressão regular '^[a-z]+@[a-z]+\.[a-z]{2,}$' valida endereços de email.
2. A formal language used in computer science and text processing that allows pattern matching through special symbols and metacharacters
Developers use regular expressions in grep, sed, and programming languages like Python and JavaScript.
Desenvolvedores usam expressões regulares em grep, sed e linguagens de programação como Python e JavaScript.
Regular expressions are fundamental in computer science education and professional software development across Brazil and the USA. The term 'regex' is widely understood in both countries' tech communities. In Brazil, the full term 'expressão regular' is preferred in formal documentation, while 'regex' is common in casual developer conversations. This is a domain-specific technical term with no significant cultural variation between regions.
Synonyms / Sinônimos
regexregexppattern matching syntax
Antonyms / Antônimos
literal string searchexact match

Regional Variations

General Brazilian
expressão regular
Standard term used in technical documentation and programming education
São Paulo
expressão regular
Predominant term in tech hubs and IT companies
Portugal
expressão regular
Same term used as in Brazil, standard in Portuguese programming communities
General Tech Community
regex (abreviação)
Abbreviated form commonly used in international and Brazilian technical circles

Related Words

patternmetacharacterstring matchinggreptext processingfinite automaton

Related Idioms & Phrases

write a regex pattern
match a regular expression
test against a regular expression
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