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Asked: 2026-05-17T23:48:27+00:00

What exactly does the const keyword in C++ mean when it’s written at the

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What exactly does the const keyword in C++ mean when it’s written at the end of a member function (after the argument list)?

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  1. Editorial Team

    It means that *this is const inside that member function, i.e. it doesn’t alter the object.

    The keyword this is a prvalue expression whose value is the address of the object for which the function is called. The type of this in a member function of a class X is X*. If the member function is declared const, the type of this is const X*. [section 9.3.2 §1]

    In a const member function, the object for which the function is called is accessed through a const access path; therefore, a const member function shall not modify the object and its non-static data members. [section 9.3.2 §2]

    This means that a const member function can be called on a const instance of the class. A non-const member function can’t be called on [1]a const object, since it could potentially try to modify it.


    [1] Note: a temporary is not a const object unless it’s of const type.

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