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Synonyms

database

American  
[dey-tuh-beys] / ˈdeɪ təˌbeɪs /
Or data-base,

noun

  1. a comprehensive collection of related data datum organized for convenient access, generally in a computer.

  2. data bank.

database British  
/ ˈdeɪtəˌbeɪs /

noun

  1. a systematized collection of data that can be accessed immediately and manipulated by a data-processing system for a specific purpose

  2. informal any large store of information

    a database of knowledge
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
database Scientific  
/ dā′tə-bās′,dăt′ə- /

  1. A collection of data arranged for ease and speed of search and retrieval by a computer.

database Cultural  

  1. A set of data grouped together in one location in (or accessible by) a computer. A computerized database has been likened to an electronic filing cabinet of information arranged for easy access or for a specific purpose.

Etymology

Origin of database

First recorded in 1965–70; data + base 1

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.

Researchers still lack detailed databases describing the mechanical properties of DNA structures, and simulation tools for predicting behavior at this scale are not yet fully developed.

From Science Daily

Mail journalists giving evidence said they believed PIs had access to legitimate databases allowing them to get public information more quickly, in an era when less was available online.

From BBC

Investors are concerned that Oracle’s legacy database business will be disrupted by AI-native competitors.

From MarketWatch

The company has since been dissolved, according to the Idaho Secretary of State business database.

From Los Angeles Times

It also said forces should narrow the circumstances in which they are logged on police databases - something that can generate a crime reference number.

From BBC

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.