noun
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a systematized collection of data that can be accessed immediately and manipulated by a data-processing system for a specific purpose
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informal any large store of information
a database of knowledge
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of database
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.
Vocabulary lists containing database
Computer Science and Technology - Introductory
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Computer Science and Technology - Middle School
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Computer Science and Technology - High School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
They also expressed concerns about other aspects of the database that may warrant additional scrutiny.
From Science Daily • Jun. 18, 2026
To date, 49 million credits have been sold to companies for roughly $12 billion, up from just a few hundred million dollars four years ago, according to CDR.fyi, a carbon removals tracking database.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 17, 2026
Since it is a crowd-sourced database it cannot count as the definitive list, but by far the most cases -- 1,116 of them -- come from the United States.
From Barron's • Jun. 15, 2026
We found many of the details in court records on a publicly accessible database.
From BBC • Jun. 13, 2026
All these origins of complex societies give us a rich database for understanding their development.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
