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

The Padres have the seventh-highest 2026 payroll in MLB at $256 million, according to contract database Spotrac. —Justin Birnbaum, Sportico.com, 20 Apr. 2026

The database was assembled from online court records with the help of January Advisors, a data science consulting firm that helped extract and sort the data. —Noam N. Levey, Hartford Courant, 20 Apr. 2026

The university launched the Julius Rosenwald Fund Archive database in September 2025, creating a major digital portal for documents tied to the Rosenwald Fund’s work across the South. —Andrew Silow-Carroll, Sun Sentinel, 20 Apr. 2026

Evidence recovered from the scene, including material from the victim’s headboard, was reanalyzed, and the profile was entered into the national CODIS database. —Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 20 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