database

noun

da·​ta·​base ˈdā-tə-ˌbās 

ˈda-

also ˈdä-

computers

: a usually large collection of data organized especially for rapid search and retrieval (as by a computer)

an online database

database transitive verb

Examples of database in a Sentence

All of our customers' information was kept in a database.

Recent Examples on the Web

Members of the group included database hackers, organizers, target identifiers, callers and residential burglars who targeted hardware virtual currency wallets, which store cryptocurrency, prosecutors said. —Andrea Klick, Oc Register, 27 Apr. 2026

The legislation also includes the implementation of a public online database displaying information on DCF’s performance comparable to federal standards and additional mandatory training for DCF employees. —Livi Stanford, Hartford Courant, 27 Apr. 2026

Kazakhstan, whose cotton pulp exports go almost entirely to Russia, dispatched nearly 60 percent more of the material than the previous year, per the United Nations Comtrade database. —Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 27 Apr. 2026

The logs were typically received as PDFs and then converted to databases using Tabula. —Ginny Monk, ProPublica, 27 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1962, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for database

• aerospace
• anatase
• anyplace
• commonplace
• cyberspace
• diabase
• diastase
• dnase
• elastase
• fireplace
• hyperspace
• interface

Kids Definition

database

noun

da·​ta·​base ˈdāt-ə-ˌbās 

ˈdat-

also ˈdät-

: a collection of data that is organized especially to be used by a computer