Synonyms

data set

American

[dey-tuh-set] / ˈdeɪ təˌsɛt /

Or dataset

noun

Computers.

a collection of data records for computer processing.
(not in technical use) modem.

data set British

noun

computing another name for file 1

"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

Etymology

Origin of data set

1955–60 data set ( def. 2 ); 1970–75 data set ( def. 1 )

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.

Historically, a few large losses do skew the data set somewhat.

From MarketWatch • May 23, 2026

SpaceX will be the next name in that data set.

From Barron's • May 22, 2026

An insurance company modified a hurricane loss data set by starting from my team’s carefully collected data.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 29, 2026

"Over the last 30 years, we've been collecting bathing water samples once a week through the summer and that long-term data set gives you the best idea of where is safest to swim."

From BBC • Apr. 15, 2026

What an economist typically has is a data set with a great many variables, none of them randomly generated, some related and others not.

From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023