type

The type command is a shell builtin used to determine how a command name is interpreted.

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Basic Usage

Check how a command is resolved

type ls

Show All Matches in PATH

Show all command locations

By default, type shows the first match.
To display all matches:

type -a ls

Check Multiple Commands

Check multiple commands at once

type cd echo grep

Verify if Command Is Builtin Only

Check if command is builtin

type cd

If output contains:

• cd is a shell builtin

Then the command is implemented internally by the shell and is not an external binary.

If instead you see something like:

• ls is /bin/ls

Then it is an external executable found in your $PATH.

If it shows:

• ll is aliased to ls -l

Then it is an alias.