ReferenceError() constructor
Baseline
Widely available
This feature is well established and works across many devices and browser versions. It’s been available across browsers since July 2015.
The ReferenceError() constructor creates ReferenceError objects.
Syntax
js
new ReferenceError()
new ReferenceError(message)
new ReferenceError(message, options)
new ReferenceError(message, fileName)
new ReferenceError(message, fileName, lineNumber)
ReferenceError()
ReferenceError(message)
ReferenceError(message, options)
ReferenceError(message, fileName)
ReferenceError(message, fileName, lineNumber)
Note:
ReferenceError() can be called with or without new. Both create a new ReferenceError instance.
Parameters
messageOptional-
Human-readable description of the error.
optionsOptional-
An object that has the following properties:
causeOptional-
A property indicating the specific cause of the error. When catching and re-throwing an error with a more-specific or useful error message, this property can be used to pass the original error.
fileNameOptional Non-standard-
The name of the file containing the code that caused the exception.
lineNumberOptional Non-standard-
The line number of the code that caused the exception
Examples
Catching a ReferenceError
js
try {
let a = undefinedVariable;
} catch (e) {
console.log(e instanceof ReferenceError); // true
console.log(e.message); // "undefinedVariable is not defined"
console.log(e.name); // "ReferenceError"
console.log(e.stack); // Stack of the error
}
Creating a ReferenceError
js
try {
throw new ReferenceError("Hello");
} catch (e) {
console.log(e instanceof ReferenceError); // true
console.log(e.message); // "Hello"
console.log(e.name); // "ReferenceError"
console.log(e.stack); // Stack of the error
}
Specifications
| Specification |
|---|
| ECMAScript® 2026 Language Specification # sec-nativeerror-constructors |