update
Americanverb (used with object)
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updates,
present (3rd person singular)
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updated,
past participle, past
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updating
present participle
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to bring (a book, figures, or the like) up to date as by adding new information or making corrections.
to update a science textbook.
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Computers. to incorporate new or more accurate information in (a database, program, procedure, etc.).
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to bring (a person, organization, etc.) up to date on a particular subject.
The magazine article will update you on the international situation.
noun
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updates
plural
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an act or instance of updating.
to make an update in a financial ledger.
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information or data used in updating.
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an updated version, model, or the like.
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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updatesimple
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updatessimple
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have updatedperfect
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has updatedperfect
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am updatingprogressive
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are updatingprogressive
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is updatingprogressive
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have been updatingperfect progressive
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has been updatingperfect progressive
Past
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updatedsimple
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had updatedperfect
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was updatingprogressive
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were updatingprogressive
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had been updatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of update
Explanation
When you renovate or improve something, changing it to make it more modern, you can say you update it. The process of doing this can also be called an update. If you decide to download the latest version of an app or program, you update it, and when you add recent information to your resume before starting a job search, you also update that. You might also update your friends about your job hunt, letting them know you're seeking employment — you're giving them the latest information, or an update. The verb dates from the 1940s.
Vocabulary lists containing update
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The state’s social-services department is pushing merchants to update their payment systems, yet swipe transactions still represent about 40% of all sales.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026
A garden hose had been overflowing the pool above the hillside for an “unknown amount of time” when it caused the flooding and subsequent collapse, according to the Fire Department’s 5 p.m. update.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
"I saw an update saying if you were delayed, diverted or cancelled because of these issues you didn't get any compensation because it was an extraordinary event," she said.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
According to the latest update of those forecasts, the odds of a 40% decline in the next two years is not significantly different than the historical average.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026
I will do my very best to update whenever I possibly can, and pray this letter finds you safely.
From "Dactyl Hill Squad" by Daniel José Older
No updates had been posted to the comedian’s official Instagram account as of Saturday morning.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
Listen to live match commentary on BBC Sounds and follow text updates on the BBC Sport website and app.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
The company needs to retain developers and show investors a path back toward accelerating growth, and its updates at the conference were a start, the analysts say.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
Executives believe product updates will keep consumers spending.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
They would be carrying updates to the authorities, Magdalys thought as she ran toward the matrons.
From "Dactyl Hill Squad" by Daniel José Older
Charities are also calling on the Department for Health and Social Care to release updated figures on enrollment on the scheme.
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026
"For now, the study provides something more fundamental: an updated molecular view of one of biology's most remarkable chemical reactions."
From Science Daily ● Sep. 19, 2026
City Councilmember John Lee; and Los Angeles Fire Capt. Rico Gross updated the community on the incident as well as expressed their condolences for the lives that were lost.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
The updated production by director Emma Griffin leaned into the story’s “Succession” undercurrents, with the not-quite-toothless old lion lashing out at those he sees as eager to supplant him.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
The catalog seemed recently updated, despite looking like a victim of 1990s pattern choice.
From "Made You Up" by Francesca Zappia
In a Sunday morning post, Trump said he is updating the plans at the "strong request" of the US military and for "national security purposes".
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026
He arrives as Target under CEO Michael Fiddelke is pursuing a turnaround by lowering some prices, refreshing its product lineup and updating store layouts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
We’ll be updating this page over the next month, so keep an eye out for more pieces from the vault!
From Slate ● Sep. 15, 2026
I’m traditionally more resistant to playwrights fiddling around with Shakespeare than I am with them updating Greek tragedy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026
Dorothy updated her classes with a unit called Wartime Mathematics, teaching students to apply arithmetic operations to household budgeting and wartime ration books and updating classic word problems with airplanes instead of cars.
From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
