What is the dereference operator in C++?

Overview

In C++, the dereference operator * is used alongside a pointer ptr to obtain the value of a variable.

Note: Learn what pointers are here.

Example

#include <iostream>
#include <string>
using namespace std;
int main() {
  // creating a variable
  string name = "Theo"; 
  // declaring a pointer  
  string* ptr = &name;    
  // obtaining the memory address of the variable
  cout << ptr << "\n";
  // Using the dereference operator 
  cout << *ptr << "\n";
  return 0;
}

Explanation

  • Line 7: We create a string variable name and assign Theo as its value.
  • Line 10: We create a pointer to this string variable.
  • Line 13: We obtain and print the pointer ptr which has the memory address of the variable.
  • Line 16: We print the value of name.

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