update

[ verb uhp-deyt, uhp-deyt; noun uhp-deyt ]
See synonyms for update on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object),up·dat·ed, up·dat·ing.
  1. to bring (a book, figures, or the like) up to date as by adding new information or making corrections: to update a science textbook.

  2. Computers. to incorporate new or more accurate information in (a database, program, procedure, etc.).

  1. to bring (a person, organization, etc.) up to date on a particular subject: The magazine article will update you on the international situation.

noun
  1. an act or instance of updating: to make an update in a financial ledger.

  2. information or data used in updating.

  1. an updated version, model, or the like.

Origin of update

1
First recorded in 1940–45; up- + date1

Other words from update

  • up·dat·a·ble, adjective
  • up·dat·er, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use update in a sentence

  • The 1812 edition updates the spelling and punctuation, and omits part of the title page (below), but is otherwise the same text.

    Ebrietatis Encomium | Boniface Oinophilus
  • Maybe he should be building them to fall apart after six months of use, to force updates.

    Makers | Cory Doctorow

British Dictionary definitions for update

update

verb(ʌpˈdeɪt) (tr)
  1. to bring up to date

noun(ˈʌpˌdeɪt)
  1. the act of updating or something that is updated

Derived forms of update

  • updateable, adjective
  • updater, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012