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

That was until 2021, when police identified a male DNA profile that had no matches in the database. — Ingrid Vasquez, PEOPLE, 27 Aug. 2026

The district also provided only hourly wages for some employees and annual pay for others, hence the two separate pay columns in our database. — Caitlin McGlade, Charlotte Observer, 27 Aug. 2026

Available genealogy records were scarce, and accessible DNA databases had little representation from those populations, Ramapo officials said. — Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 27 Aug. 2026

And to ask them to build a massive database that requires a lot of technology and a lot of thought in a short period of time will drive them to complete failure. — Sarah D. Wire, USA Today, 26 Aug. 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