database

American  

[day-tuh-bays] / 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

A person familiar with the database said the ministry has never asked.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

At Nepal's two forensic laboratories, both in Kathmandu, experts are working to profile samples and build a database on a scale they have never handled before.

From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026

A spokesman for the company told the Daily Telegraph, external it no longer had any involvement in Israeli settlements and was wrongly included in the database.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

Ross is jailed at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center and his bond is set for $5,000, according to the Miami-Dade County inmate database.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

Surely the clinic had some kind of database of patient records.

From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng

Echoing the findings of an earlier evaluation also ordered by Carter, Nardello & Co. found “a reporting environment that relies on numerous databases, self-reported information, manual data transfers, and decentralized reporting practices.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026

Together, these measurements created one of the most extensive databases on atherosclerosis assembled to date.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 1, 2026

District Attorney Nathan Hochman launched an investigation using law-enforcement databases with records of virtually everyone the county had prosecuted since the 1960s, including juveniles whose files had been scrubbed from the probation department.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

"It would be a mistake for anybody to try to draw definite conclusions just based on the fact that two databases happen to match," Morley told AFP.

From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026

Aviva may be the one modern Hebrew name that is ready to break out: it’s easy to pronounce, pretty, peppy, and suitably flexible. databases, here is a sampling of today’s high-end names.

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