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.

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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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Etymology

Origin of database

First recorded in 1965–70; data + base ¹

Example Sentences

They didn’t reply when I asked for an explanation of the discrepancies between the paper and the online database.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

Forty-eight-year-old retailer Eszter Somfai had her home address shared online, after an internal party database with some 200,000 supporters' personal details was leaked last November.

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

Investors are concerned that Oracle’s legacy database business will be disrupted by AI-native competitors.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 31, 2026

The company has since been dissolved, according to the Idaho Secretary of State business database.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 31, 2026

The questionnaires were long and involved, and over time Hofstede was able to develop an enormous database for analyzing the ways in which cultures differ from one another.

From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell