Explanation of verbose

What does verbose option mean in a Linux command? On this article we are going to explain what verbose means when you are executing a Linux terminal command, also known as a 'shell' command. Understanding what verbose mean is very important for a Linux administrator. To understand the concept of verbose, please read all of this short tutorial. When you are done reading this article, you will have a very good understanding of what verbose mean in Linux.

To understand what verbose means, lets take a quick look at its dictionary definition. According to the dictionary, the word verbose means: characterized by the use of many or too many words; In other words,, it means wordy. Wordy means a lot of words. Wordy is our first clue of what verbose means. In other words, verbose means 'more information'. Using the -v options prints informative messages.

verbose option in commands

When you execute a Linux command, most of the time, the command is very simple. Many times, you will not get a confirmation at all from the shell. Usually this is a good thing. Its only when you get an error that you get a message back after the command. However, there are times when you need more information or output on the command.

The verbose option provides more information from the command on the screen. This means that the programs provides comments on the operation as they happen. The program or utility will give you real-time status of what the command is doing.

A good example is when you use the 'ping' command. When you execute the ping command, the replies appear as they happen. This is what verbose means. It is giving you more information.You see the replies as they happen, well, that's what it means, if you didn't want to see the verbose, then the system would not show you the replies it got, it would just ping without you knowing. like in UNIX, in Linux, if you don't get an error message, then that means the command work. but with verbose, you see what the command is doing

Example of verbose

One perfect example of using verbose in a LInux command is the command, next time you are in the terminal shell using the copy (cp) command, try this example:
cp -v file1.txt file2.txt


Thanks for learning about what verbose. If you have any questions, please leave us your comments, we welcome all your comments or questions.