Late Binding

Definitions

1. The practice of resolving a method call or symbol reference at runtime rather than compile time, enabling polymorphism by dispatching to the actual object's implementation rather than the declared type's. Also called dynamic dispatch or dynamic binding.

   In plain English: Deciding which version of a function to run while the program is actually running, not when it is being compiled.

   Example: "Python uses late binding for everything, which is why you can monkeypatch a method and have existing call sites pick it up immediately."

Related Terms

• Smalltalk
• Lexical Scope
• Liskov Substitution Principle
• Mediator Pattern
• Method Dispatch
• Method Resolution Order
• Virtual Table
• Visitor Pattern