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. 2023
How to use date in a sentence
For my friend, a small minority of JSwipe matches materialized into conversations, and none have materialized into dates.
As uncovered by the climate blog desmogblog, the Ethical Oil meme dates to a 2010 book by Ezra Levant.
How Canadian Oilmen Pinkwash the Keystone Pipeline | Jay Michaelson | December 28, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTCover with plastic wrap and allow the dates to soften, about 15 minutes.
Make ‘The Chew’s’ Carla Hall’s Sticky Toffee Pudding | Carla Hall | December 28, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIt dates to 1740s Britain and of course was written originally in Latin (“Adeste Fideles”).
He sticks only to specifics—the dates of operations, the number of people killed on both sides, even the number of bullets fired.
Heart of Darkness: Into Afghanistan’s Taliban Valley | Matt Trevithick, Daniel Seckman | November 15, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
In dates of the last and present century, the expression of the last two figures is sufficient.
Assimilative Memory | Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)In dates previous to the last century, the last three figures must be expressed.
Assimilative Memory | Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)In dates of the last and present century it is usual to indicate the last two figures of the date.
Assimilative Memory | Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)Subject to the exceptions hereafter named, all dates and numbers should be exactly expressed in the date or number words.
Assimilative Memory | Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)The earliest note we really have of thimbles being manufactured in Birmingham dates as 1695.
Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham | Thomas T. Harman and Walter Showell
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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