date

¹ American  

[deyt] / deɪt /

noun

1. a particular month, day, and year at which some event happened or will happen.

   July 4, 1776 was the date of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

2. the day of the month.

   Is today's date the 7th or the 8th?

3. an inscription on a writing, coin, etc., that shows the time, or time and place, of writing, casting, delivery, etc..

   a letter bearing the date January 16.

4. the time or period to which any event or thing belongs; period in general.

   Funeral arrangements will be announced at a later date.

5. the time during which anything lasts; duration.

   The pity is that childhood has so short a date.

6. an appointment for a particular time.

   They have a date with their accountant at ten o'clock.

7. a social appointment or engagement arranged beforehand with another person, especially when a romantic relationship exists or may develop.

   to go out on a Saturday night date.

8. a person with whom one has such a social appointment or engagement.

   Can I bring a date to the party?

9. an engagement for an entertainer to perform.

10. dates, the birth and death dates, usually in years, of a person.

    Dante's dates are 1265 to 1321.

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verb (used without object)

dated, dating

1. to have or bear a date.

   The letter dates from 1873.

2. to belong to a particular period; have its origin.

   That dress dates from the 19th century. The architecture dates as far back as 1830.

3. to reckon from some point in time.

   The custom dates from the days when women wore longer skirts.

4. to go out socially on dates.

   She dated a lot during high school.

verb (used with object)

dated, dating

1. to mark or furnish with a date.

   Please date the check as of today.

2. to ascertain or fix the period or point in time of; assign a period or point in time to.

   The archaeologist dated the ruins as belonging to the early Minoan period.

3. to show the age of; show to be old-fashioned.

4. to make a date with; go out on dates with.

   He's been dating his best friend's sister.

idioms

1. to date, up to the present time; until now.

   This is his best book to date.

2. up to date. see up-to-date.

date ² American  

[deyt] / deɪt /

noun

1. the oblong, fleshy fruit of the date palm, a staple food in northern Africa, Arabia, etc., and an important export.

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date ¹ British  

/ deɪt /

noun

1. a specified day of the month

   today's date is October 27

2. the particular day or year of an event

   the date of the Norman Conquest was 1066

3. (plural) the years of a person's birth and death or of the beginning and end of an event or period

4. an inscription on a coin, letter, etc, stating when it was made or written

5. 1. an appointment for a particular time, esp with a person to whom one is sexually or romantically attached

      she has a dinner date

   2. the person with whom the appointment is made

6. the present moment; now (esp in the phrases to date, up to date )

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verb

1. (tr) to mark (a letter, coin, etc) with the day, month, or year

2. (tr) to assign a date of occurrence or creation to

3. (intr; foll by from or back to) to have originated (at a specified time)

   his decline dates from last summer

4. (tr) to reveal the age of

   that dress dates her

5. to make or become old-fashioned

   some good films hardly date at all

6. informal

   1. to be a boyfriend or girlfriend of (someone of the opposite sex)

   2. to accompany (a member of the opposite sex) on a date

date ² British  

/ deɪt /

noun

1. the fruit of the date palm, having sweet edible flesh and a single large woody seed

2. short for date palm

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date More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing date

• bring up to date
• double date
• make a date
• out of date
• to date
• up to date

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Other Word Forms

• datable
  adjective
• datableness
  noun
• dateable
  adjective
• dateableness
  noun
• dateless
  adjective
• dater
  noun
• undatable
  adjective
• undateable
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of date¹

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English noun from Middle French, from Late Latin data, noun use of data (feminine of datus, past participle of dare “to give”), from the phrase data (Romae) “written, given (at Rome)”; Middle English verb daten “to sign or date a document,” derivative of the noun

Origin of date²

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Anglo-French, Old French dade, date, from Medieval Latin datil(l)us, from Latin dactylus, from Greek dáktylos, from a Semitic language (and unrelated to Greek dáktylos “finger; dactyl )

Explanation

A date is a particular day of the month, and to date is to go out with someone. You might have the date of your first date with a special someone marked on your calendar. Awwwwwwww. Date comes from the Latin datus, "given," because in ancient Rome when people wrote letters or decrees, they'd say, "given ("data") May 1st" (for example). Date can mean a day of each year, like May 1st, or one historical day, like May 1st, 1873. You make a date to meet someone for dinner. You date your letter. If you make many appointments with one special lady, you're dating her. A date is also a fruit, from the date palm.

Example Sentences

American Century’s target-date funds, like the One Choice Target Date Portfolios, come in five-year increments based on your target retirement year.

From Barron's • Apr. 30, 2026

That is because he's an entrepreneur and owner of The Date Sultan stand at London's Borough Market, where he sells fair-trade dates.

From BBC • Feb. 28, 2026

The Marriage Pact team apparently found Date Drop’s questions and marketing a little too familiar.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 10, 2026

Princeton freshman Pierre Du Plessis said Date Drop has been useful on a campus where asking someone out is unusual.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 10, 2026

He looked very much like Boy on a First Date.

From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon

Related Words

• age
• day
• hour
• moment
• period
• stage
• term
• time
• year