metadata

American  

[met-uh-dey-tuh, ‐-dat-uh, ‐-dah-tuh] / ˈmɛt əˌdeɪ tə, ‐ˌdæt ə, ‐ˌdɑ tə /

noun

(usually used with a singular verb)

1. data that describes, annotates, or gives information about other data, including but not limited to tags in a programming code, information about a digital file's characteristics, or a library catalog showing the location and call number of books: In their surveillance operations, intelligence agencies were able to access such metadata as the phone numbers involved and duration of phone calls.

   Search engine spiders use content and HTML metadata to index websites.

   In their surveillance operations, intelligence agencies were able to access such metadata as the phone numbers involved and duration of phone calls.

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metadata British  

plural noun

1. computing information that is held as a description of stored data

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Etymology

Origin of metadata

First recorded in 1965–70; meta- (in the sense “analyzing material at a higher level”) + data ( def. )

Explanation

Metadata is a collection of information, or data, that describes another set of data. In other words, metadata is "data about data." No kidding. The classic example of metadata is a library's card catalog — it's a complete system of data that's all about another set of data, the books that library holds. Today you'll find that metadata is primarily digital, existing on web pages and in computer files. Metadata tells you things about the data it describes, often including what the data is for, when and where it was created, and who created it.

Example Sentences

Some shoppers remain wary of sharing payment data with an app that maintains ties to TikTok’s Chinese parent ByteDance.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 29, 2026

The lenses that mortgage lenders use to look at a person’s credit history are changing to incorporate rent and utility payment data.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 25, 2026

Google’s integration of search, maps, and payment data is expected to give its AI assistant a competitive advantage.

From Barron's • Jan. 8, 2026

Adidas said passwords and credit card and other payment data were not compromised.

From BBC • May 27, 2025

Chinese consumers are going through a “consumption downgrade,” according to an analysis of mobile payment data by Shanghai Pulse Data Technology Co.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 24, 2024