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.

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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

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database Scientific  

/ dā′tə-bās′,dăt′ə- /

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

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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.

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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

Shanahan was holding and using a cellphone at the time of the crash but was not at fault, according to the California Crash Reporting System, a statewide database of collisions.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

The Calamos team tries to identify companies at ideal stages of their growth cycles through “a combination of database screens, interaction of company management teams and studying sell-side analysts models and communicating with sell-side analysts.”

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026

One forces prescribers to register with the manufacturer -- creating a national database that advocates say could pose a safety risk for doctors.

From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026

Buckley said prosecutors had obtained the phone numbers from a law-enforcement database and hadn’t intended to seek records of family members.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

The office kept an electronic database of every voter and potential voter we encountered, and then those that it reached through regular mailers.

From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee

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

The researchers compared vehicle CO2 emissions data from 260 U.S. cities across the two databases.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 18, 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

Tucker and I had exhausted the library’s databases on Scarlet and McCoy, with no further clues about McCoy’s particular brand of psychosis.

From "Made You Up" by Francesca Zappia