date
1a particular month, day, and year at which some event happened or will happen: July 4, 1776 was the date of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
the day of the month: Is today's date the 7th or the 8th?
an inscription on a writing, coin, etc., that shows the time, or time and place, of writing, casting, delivery, etc.: a letter bearing the date January 16.
the time or period to which any event or thing belongs; period in general: Funeral arrangements will be announced at a later date.
the time during which anything lasts; duration: The pity is that childhood has so short a date.
an appointment for a particular time: They have a date with their accountant at ten o'clock.
a social appointment or engagement arranged beforehand with another person, especially when a romantic relationship exists or may develop: to go out on a Saturday night date.
a person with whom one has such a social appointment or engagement: Can I bring a date to the party?
an engagement for an entertainer to perform.
dates, the birth and death dates, usually in years, of a person: Dante's dates are 1265 to 1321.
to have or bear a date: The letter dates from 1873.
to belong to a particular period; have its origin: That dress dates from the 19th century. The architecture dates as far back as 1830.
to reckon from some point in time: The custom dates from the days when women wore longer skirts.
to go out socially on dates: She dated a lot during high school.
to mark or furnish with a date: Please date the check as of today.
to ascertain or fix the period or point in time of; assign a period or point in time to: The archaeologist dated the ruins as belonging to the early Minoan period.
to show the age of; show to be old-fashioned.
to make a date with; go out on dates with: He's been dating his best friend's sister.
Idioms about date
to date, up to the present time; until now: This is his best book to date.
up to date. See entry at up-to-date.
Origin of date
1Other words from date
- dat·a·ble, date·a·ble, adjective
- dat·a·ble·ness, date·a·ble·ness, noun
- dat·er, noun
- un·dat·a·ble, adjective
- un·date·a·ble, adjective
Other definitions for date (2 of 2)
the oblong, fleshy fruit of the date palm, a staple food in northern Africa, Arabia, etc., and an important export.
Origin of date
2Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
British Dictionary definitions for date (1 of 2)
/ (deɪt) /
a specified day of the month: today's date is October 27
the particular day or year of an event: the date of the Norman Conquest was 1066
(plural) the years of a person's birth and death or of the beginning and end of an event or period
an inscription on a coin, letter, etc, stating when it was made or written
an appointment for a particular time, esp with a person to whom one is sexually or romantically attached: she has a dinner date
the person with whom the appointment is made
the present moment; now (esp in the phrases to date, up to date)
(tr) to mark (a letter, coin, etc) with the day, month, or year
(tr) to assign a date of occurrence or creation to
(intr; foll by from or back to) to have originated (at a specified time): his decline dates from last summer
(tr) to reveal the age of: that dress dates her
to make or become old-fashioned: some good films hardly date at all
informal, mainly US and Canadian
to be a boyfriend or girlfriend of (someone of the opposite sex)
to accompany (a member of the opposite sex) on a date
Origin of date
1date
Derived forms of date
- datable or dateable, adjective
- dateless, adjective
British Dictionary definitions for date (2 of 2)
/ (deɪt) /
the fruit of the date palm, having sweet edible flesh and a single large woody seed
short for date palm
Origin of date
2Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with date
In addition to the idiom beginning with date
- date rape
also see
- bring up to date
- double date
- make a date
- out of date
- to date
- up to date
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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