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Decrement (--)

The -- operator decrements (subtracts one from) its operand and returns the value before or after the decrement, depending on where the operator is placed.

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Syntax

js
x--
--x

Description

The -- operator is overloaded for two types of operands: number and BigInt. It first coerces the operand to a numeric value and tests the type of it. It performs BigInt decrement if the operand becomes a BigInt; otherwise, it performs number decrement.

If used postfix, with operator after operand (for example, x--), the decrement operator decrements and returns the value before decrementing.

If used prefix, with operator before operand (for example, --x), the decrement operator decrements and returns the value after decrementing.

The decrement operator can only be applied on operands that are references (variables and object properties; i.e. valid assignment targets). --x itself evaluates to a value, not a reference, so you cannot chain multiple decrement operators together.

js
--(--x); // SyntaxError: Invalid left-hand side expression in prefix operation

Examples

Postfix decrement

js
let x = 3;
const y = x--;
// x is 2; y is 3

let x2 = 3n;
const y2 = x2--;
// x2 is 2n; y2 is 3n

Prefix decrement

js
let x = 3;
const y = --x;
// x is 2; y = 2

let x2 = 3n;
const y2 = --x2;
// x2 is 2n; y2 is 2n

Specifications

Browser compatibility

Desktop Mobile Server
Chrome Edge Firefox Opera Safari Chrome Android Firefox for Android Opera Android Safari on IOS Samsung Internet WebView Android Deno Node.js
Decrement 2 12 1 3 4 18 4 10.1 3.2 1.0 4.4 1.0 0.10.0

See also

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Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License v2.5 or later.
https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Operators/Decrement