Software & Apps Linux The Definition of Verbose Output 'Verbose' output offers additional information and context by Juergen Haas Writer Former Lifewire writer Juergen Haas is a software developer, data scientist, and a fan of the Linux operating system. our editorial process Juergen Haas Updated on March 09, 2020 Tweet Share Email Lifewire Linux Switching from Windows Many Linux commands support a -v switch that, in many cases, offers additional context and information compared to the standard output of that program. Verbose Linux Output A simple example is the ps command that returns a list of active processes. ps The ps command lists processes on the system, and the output from the command is as follows: PID (process ID) TTY (terminal type) Time CMD (command) The ps command accepts the -v switch, which shows the verbose output. ps -v The above command shows every process, but now you see the following columns: PID TTY STAT TIME MAJFL TRS DRS RSS %MEM COMMAND Generally, only use a verbose switch if there is extra information that you need to see, and it shouldn't be used for every command you use. Not every command has an option to show verbose output. The reason for not showing verbose output is that it slows down the command slightly, so it isn't something you want to use inside scripts unless you specifically need to output extra information. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Email Address Sign up There was an error. Please try again. You're in! Thanks for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. Thank you for signing up. Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit