data mining

American  

noun

Digital Technology.

1. the process of collecting, searching through, and analyzing a large amount of data in a database, as to discover patterns or relationships.

   the use of data mining to detect fraud.

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data mining British  

noun

1. the gathering of information from pre-existing data stored in a database, such as one held by a supermarket about customers' shopping habits

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data mining Cultural  

1. The technique of identifying patterns and relationships within large databases through the use of advanced statistical methods.

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Etymology

Origin of data mining

First recorded in 1985–90

Example Sentences

As for the centurion’s pay: This is just data mining.

From MarketWatch • Oct. 14, 2025

It is currently consulting on proposals that would allow AI companies to use material that is available online without respecting copyright if they are using it for text or data mining.

From BBC • Feb. 24, 2025

It’s the root technique of most great Black music, dance, theater and performance, and the source of the charisma that has made Black Twitter worth its weight in data mining.

From Los Angeles Times • May 10, 2024

"The EU's comprehensive copyright protection and enforcement framework already contains provisions that can help address AI-related copyright issues, such as the text and data mining exemption and corresponding," they said.

From Reuters • Nov. 23, 2023

For example: bread is food; an academic title acknowledges that a course of study was successfully completed; computers can be used as better typewriters or for data mining.

From The Civilization of Illiteracy by Nadin, Mihai