在类UNIX系统中，僵尸进程是指完成执行（通过exit系统调用，或运行时发生致命错误或收到终止信号所致）但在操作系统的进程表中仍然有一个表项（进程控制块PCB），处于"终止状态"的进程。这发生于子进程需要保留表项以允许其父进程读取子进程的exit status：一旦退出态通过wait系统调用读取，僵尸进程条目就从进程表中删除，称之为"回收（reaped）"。正常情况下，进程直接被其父进程wait并由系统回收。进程长时间保持僵尸状态一般是错误的并导致资源泄漏。

英文术语zombie process源自en:zombie — 不死之人，隐喻子进程已死但仍然没有被收割。与正常进程不同，kill命令对僵尸进程无效。孤儿进程不同于僵尸进程，其父进程已经死掉，但孤儿进程仍能正常执行，但并不会变为僵尸进程，因为被init（进程ID号为1）收养并wait其退出。

On Unix and Unix-like computer operating systems, a zombie process or defunct process is a process that has completed execution (via the exit system call) but still has an entry in the process table: it is a process in the "Terminated state". This occurs for child processes, where the entry is still needed to allow the parent process to read its child's exit status: once the exit status is read via the wait system call, the zombie's entry is removed from the process table and it is said to be "reaped". A child process always first becomes a zombie before being removed from the resource table. In most cases, under normal system operation zombies are immediately waited on by their parent and then reaped by the system – processes that stay zombies for a long time are generally an error and cause a resource leak.