database

American  

[dey-tuh-beys] / ˈdeɪ təˌbeɪs /

Or data-base,

noun

databases plural

1. a comprehensive collection of related data organized for convenient access, generally in a computer.

2. data bank.

---

database British  

/ ˈdeɪtəˌbeɪs /

noun

1. a systematized collection of data that can be accessed immediately and manipulated by a data-processing system for a specific purpose

2. informal any large store of information

   a database of knowledge

---

database Scientific  

/ dā′tə-bās′,dăt′ə- /

1. A collection of data arranged for ease and speed of search and retrieval by a computer.

---

database Cultural  

1. A set of data grouped together in one location in (or accessible by) a computer. A computerized database has been likened to an electronic filing cabinet of information arranged for easy access or for a specific purpose.

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• databases
  plural

Etymology

Origin of database

First recorded in 1965–70; data + base ¹

Explanation

A database is an organized body of information. Libraries have lots of databases to help you find books, articles, or information. Looking for some information? You might need to check a database, probably at the library or online. A database collects a bunch of information and resources, usually on a common subject. Some databases feature newspapers; others are related to legal issues. The police use databases to track criminals, and the government uses databases to track terrorists. Anywhere there's information being collected and accessed, there's probably a database keeping track of it all.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

database databases

Homeland Security has previously told news outlets it does not have a “domestic terrorist” database, but said it monitors incidents of “threats, assaults and obstruction” of its officers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026

In their new study, he and his colleagues used a global database of birdsong - recordings uploaded by thousands of volunteers.

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026

The point is to be wary of argument by anecdote, since the trading database is a big haystack, and journalists are pattern-seeking animals.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

But Tanya Porquez, CEO of Generated Group -- which has just launched a database of AI-generated video creations -- thinks that won't last.

From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026

"Maybe you could go online this afternoon, Bobby. You could go to the website of the journal Science and do some poking around, search their database for articles on light, do some reading— okay?"

From "Things Not Seen" by Andrew Clements

The mobile number was then put through police intelligence databases, which revealed a single piece of intelligence dating back to 2018, linked to that number, but with no name attached.

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026

Researchers have long attempted to organize common sense into databases.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 14, 2026

Asylum seekers are fingerprinted on arrival in the UK and checked against UK police databases, but these would not necessarily show a conviction from another country.

From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026

At a “20,000-foot level,” Hochman said, the databases available to his office suggested a vast majority of plaintiffs were never housed in the facilities where they said they were abused.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 15, 2026

These databases are then used by police and prosecutors, as well as by employers and housing officials—an electronic record that will haunt many for life.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander