v2.4.0.6

Business Combinations (Virage Logic Corporation) - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $) | 12 Months Ended
--- | ---
Oct. 31, 2012 | Oct. 31, 2011 | Oct. 31, 2010
Business Acquisition [Line Items] |  |  |
Cash payments, net of cash acquired | $ 970,089,000 | $ 41,015,000 | $ 500,829,000
Fiscal 2010 Acquisitions Virage Logic Corporation |  |  |
Business Acquisition [Line Items] |  |  |
Acquisition price per share |  |  | $ 12.00
Cash payments, net of cash acquired |  |  | 299,500,000
Purchase consideration |  |  | 316,600,000
Stock awards assumed |  |  | 4,600,000
Identifiable intangibles assets acquired |  |  | 96,700,000
IPR&D acquired |  |  | 13,200,000
Goodwill arising from acquisition |  |  | 210,100,000
Acquisition-related cost |  |  | 13,000,000
Total fair value of stock awards assumed |  |  | 21,700,000
Fair value of assumed allocated to purchase consideration |  |  | 4,600,000
Fair value of assumed stock awards allocated for future services |  |  | $ 17,100,000
Fiscal 2010 Acquisitions Virage Logic Corporation | Minimum |  |  |
Business Acquisition [Line Items] |  |  |
Identifiable intangible assets amortization period (in years) |  |  | 2 years
Fiscal 2010 Acquisitions Virage Logic Corporation | Maximum |  |  |
Business Acquisition [Line Items] |  |  |
Identifiable intangible assets amortization period (in years) |  |  | 10 years

X
- Definition Business acquisition fair value of stock award allocated for future services. + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | snps_BusinessAcquisitionFairValueOfStockAwardAllocatedForFutureServices
Namespace Prefix: | snps_
Data Type: | xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type: | credit
Period Type: | instant

X
- Definition Business Acquisition Purchase Price Allocation IN-Process Research and Development + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | snps_BusinessAcquisitionPurchasePriceAllocationInProcessResearchAndDevelopment
Namespace Prefix: | snps_
Data Type: | xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type: | debit
Period Type: | instant

X
- Definition Fair value of assumed stock awards allocated to purchase price of business combination. + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | snps_FairValueOfAssumedStockAwardsAllocatedToPurchasePriceOfBusinessCombination
Namespace Prefix: | snps_
Data Type: | xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type: | credit
Period Type: | instant

X
- Definition Total fair value of stock awards assumed through acquisitions. + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | snps_TotalFairValueOfStockAwardsAssumedThroughAcquisitions
Namespace Prefix: | snps_
Data Type: | xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type: | credit
Period Type: | instant

X
- Definition The acquisition-date fair value of the equity interests of the acquirer, including the number of instruments or interests issued or issuable in consideration for the business combination. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS) -Number 141R -Paragraph 39 -LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy. Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Emerging Issues Task Force (EITF) -Number 88-16 -LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy. Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS) -Number 141 -Paragraph 51 -Subparagraph d -LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy. Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS) -Number 141R -Paragraph 68 -Subparagraph f(4) -LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy. + Details
Name: | us-gaap_BusinessAcquisitionCostOfAcquiredEntityEquityInterestsIssuedAndIssuable
Namespace Prefix: | us-gaap_
Data Type: | xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type: | debit
Period Type: | instant

X
- Definition The total cost of the acquired entity including the cash paid to shareholders of acquired entities, fair value of debt and equity securities issued to shareholders of acquired entities, the fair value of the liabilities assumed, and direct costs of the acquisition. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS) -Number 141 -Paragraph 51 -Subparagraph d -LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy. + Details
Name: | us-gaap_BusinessAcquisitionCostOfAcquiredEntityPurchasePrice
Namespace Prefix: | us-gaap_
Data Type: | xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type: | debit
Period Type: | instant

X
- Details
Name: | us-gaap_BusinessAcquisitionLineItems
Namespace Prefix: | us-gaap_
Data Type: | xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition The amount of acquisition cost of a business combination allocated to an identifiable intangible asset that will be amortized. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS) -Number 141 -Paragraph 51 -Subparagraph e -LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy. Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS) -Number 141 -Paragraph 52 -LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy. + Details
Name: | us-gaap_BusinessAcquisitionPurchasePriceAllocationAmortizableIntangibleAssets
Namespace Prefix: | us-gaap_
Data Type: | xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type: | debit
Period Type: | instant

X
- Definition Amount of goodwill arising from a business combination, which is the excess of the cost of the acquired entity over the amounts assigned to assets acquired and liabilities assumed. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS) -Number 141 -Paragraph 52 -Subparagraph c -LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy. Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS) -Number 141 -Paragraph 53 -Subparagraph d -LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy. + Details
Name: | us-gaap_BusinessAcquisitionPurchasePriceAllocationGoodwillAmount
Namespace Prefix: | us-gaap_
Data Type: | xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type: | debit
Period Type: | instant

X
- Definition For an acquired entity, price of a single share of a number of saleable stocks of a company. + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | us-gaap_BusinessAcquisitionSharePrice
Namespace Prefix: | us-gaap_
Data Type: | num:perShareItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | instant

X
- Definition This element represents acquisition-related costs incurred to effect a business combination which costs have been expensed during the period. Such costs include finder's fees; advisory, legal, accounting, valuation, and other professional or consulting fees; general administrative costs, including the costs of maintaining an internal acquisitions department; and may include costs of registering and issuing debt and equity securities. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 805 -SubTopic 10 -Section 25 -Paragraph 23 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=21917927&loc=d3e1043-128460 Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS) -Number 141R -Paragraph 59 -LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy. + Details
Name: | us-gaap_BusinessCombinationAcquisitionRelatedCosts
Namespace Prefix: | us-gaap_
Data Type: | xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type: | debit
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition Useful life of finite-lived intangible assets, in 'PnYnMnDTnHnMnS' format, for example, 'P1Y5M13D' represents the reported fact of one year, five months, and thirteen days. + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | us-gaap_FiniteLivedIntangibleAssetUsefulLife
Namespace Prefix: | us-gaap_
Data Type: | xbrli:durationItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition The cash outflow associated with the acquisition of a business, net of the cash acquired from the purchase. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Glossary Investing Activities -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6516133 Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 230 -SubTopic 10 -Section 45 -Paragraph 13 -Subparagraph (b) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6943989&loc=d3e3213-108585 Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS) -Number 95 -Paragraph 15, 17 -LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy. + Details
Name: | us-gaap_PaymentsToAcquireBusinessesNetOfCashAcquired
Namespace Prefix: | us-gaap_
Data Type: | xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type: | credit
Period Type: | duration