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.
See Examples For:
Based on that database, they found that among the cities that they looked into, St. Louis saw the smallest increase in relative home prices, as detailed in the chart above.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 22, 2026
But the federal government doesn’t possess a comprehensive database of citizens, and efforts to match different data sets have so far yielded inaccurate results.
From Salon ● Aug. 21, 2026
The EU's new pact, which was nearly 10 years in the making, introduces mandatory screening and an updated database to track those arriving in the bloc.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
According to the Miami-Dade court case database, Hilton’s mother, Teresita Lavandeira, filed a petition on Aug. 7 for temporary custody over his three minor children.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
Then I pulled up the United States Citizen Registry database and attempted to log in.
From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline
Still more leads came from running public voter rolls through the HSI lab’s databases, though it’s not clear how many.
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026
They use mashed-together databases to sense patterns and retrieve verbiage.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
“These databases and tracking devices are important tools for law enforcement to conduct lawful investigations,” Los Angeles County Dist.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
Despite a total population of just over six million people, the Baltic states possessed around 33,000 startups last year, according to data from Lursoft IT, a Latvian company specialising in business and financial databases.
From Barron's ● Aug. 2, 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
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.
