database

American  

[dey-tuh-beys] / ˈdeɪ təˌbeɪs /

Or data-base,

noun

1. a comprehensive collection of related data datum organized for convenient access, generally in a computer.

2. data bank.

---

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

---

database Scientific  

/ dā′tə-bās′,dăt′ə- /

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

---

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.

---

Etymology

Origin of database

First recorded in 1965–70; data + base ¹

Example Sentences

“I’m sure in the database they have me at 5-11 and seven-eighths.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

But the wave keeps building: A database of AI hallucinations maintained by the French researcher Damien Charlotin now numbers 1,174 cases, of which some 750 are from U.S. courts.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2026

Her family is one of 33 awaiting word from loved ones reported missing in Arizona in the past year to the US justice department's missing-persons database.

From BBC • Mar. 25, 2026

Unlike many other attempts to calculate the return on housing, this comprehensive database reflects both capital appreciation and rental income.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 20, 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