first in first out

English

Alternative forms

• first-in-first-out; first-in first-out; first in, first out; first-in, first-out

Noun

first in first out (uncountable)

1. (accounting) A method of inventory accounting that values items withdrawn from inventory at the cost of the oldest item assumed to remain in inventory.
2. (operations) A policy of serving first what has arrived for service first.
3. (computing) A type of queue data structure in which the oldest added items are retrieved first.

Synonyms

• FIFO

Translations

method and policy

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 先进先出

• Finnish: ensin sisään ensin ulos, jonotapa
• Russian: пе́рвым пришёл — пе́рвым ушёл (pérvym prišól — pérvym ušól)

See also

• first come first served