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

If the bill was enacted, law enforcement agencies in the state wouldn't be able to use the Secretary of State's facial-recognition database. —Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 28 Mar. 2026

Scammers often gather personal details from data broker websites, public records and online databases. —Roxanne Downer, USA Today, 28 Mar. 2026

The more than $22 million in contracts was largely tied to the district’s My Integrated Student Information System, known as MiSiS — a database used to track student records such as attendance and grades — and was awarded to Innive, a company owned by Sampath. —Teresa Liu, Daily News, 28 Mar. 2026

With the method, expert genealogists try to match crime scene DNA to relatives who have uploaded their DNA in publicly accessible databases. —Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Mar. 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