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:
And local officials who normally update constituents on the sideline of a football game now say they are legally barred from sharing what they know.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
The update also means that some groups will no longer need to be consulted on housing development plans as part of the process of getting permission.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
Scotland Yard confirmed to the BBC it copied in all those who had signed up to receive a monthly email update for victims instead of blind copying them.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
If a new homeowner purchased a property at a significantly higher purchase price as compared to the home’s last assessed value, local tax assessors could update the property value, and that could mean higher taxes.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 15, 2026
“So the problem is that the shelter has an antiquated filing system, and the solution is that you are going to update it?”
From "The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl" by Stacy McAnulty
When the data center issue first flared up last year, Bare was in the hospital with a severe spinal infection, fielding worried updates from her mother.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
The software allows businesses to make updates more easily, and Chatterjee is intrigued by its financial potential over the long term.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026
Plus, some good reading and a couple of updates.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
Voice of legendary play-by-play announcer, re-created using artificial intelligence, will provide daily Olympic updates for NBCUniversal’s Peacock.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
Starting in late morning, the staff released regular updates about Garfield.
From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow
But those figures might not be updated, and could understate what they will likely owe.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 15, 2026
On Wednesday evening, the Santa Paula rescue center updated its Facebook page to mourn the death of Bruce.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
IAB Tech Lab updated its privacy standards to help ad-tech firms transmit consumer choices and data-deletion requests across the ad ecosystem.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
Parents and guardians will be kept updated on when they can expect to receive pouches for their children.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
One of them shows an updated profile of Day—this time featuring a boy with long, black hair.
From "Legend" by Marie Lu
SL Green said it had previously identified the inconsistency with the steel columns and was working on updating its design plans to later file with the city.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
It requires updating, and in some cases, completely replacing, existing machinery, which can be costly and time consuming.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
Health officials are encouraging parents to plan now for updating their kids’ vaccines, with the new school year only a few weeks away.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
“The Social Network” prophesied a new era of digital media pollution at the hands of an antisocial egomaniac, updating “Citizen Kane” for the world’s next tectonic shift.
From Salon ● Jul. 22, 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.
