database

noun · verb

Simple meaning

An organized collection of information, often on a computer

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

daytuhbays

Say the bold part a little louder.

US device voice

IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈdeɪtəbeɪs

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

computing
A set of tables and other objects (queries, reports, forms) in the form of a structured data set.
loosely
An organized body of related information
loosely
A collection of (usually) organized information in a regular structure, usually but not necessarily in a machine-readable format accessible by a computer.
computinglooselymetonymic
A software program (application) for storing, retrieving and manipulating such a structured data set.

verb

transitive
To enter (data) into a database.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty: A1 · Beginner (estimated)
Frequency: Very Common
Typical Use: Varies by meaning

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: A set of tables and other objects (queries, reports, forms) in the form of a structured data set.

Used this way, database is a specialist word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. This is a computing use: it carries a fixed technical meaning inside software and systems work.

Emotional tone: Neutral
Formality: Specialist/technical
Intensity: Not strongly marked
How common: Specialized
Connotation: Clinical and technical
Usage feel: Technical and specialized

Where it naturally appears

Technology
Technical/specialist writing
Business/professional

Usage note

In general conversation this sense usually needs explaining — outside its field, people reach for a plainer word.

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use database

“The new employee added all customer information to the company database.”noun

Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

Set / software

database server

Organized / collection

computer database

Other combinations

database managementoracle databasedistributed databasedatabase systemdatabase designdatabase file

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

database managementnounCompound term
Creation and maintenance of a database.
database management systemnounCompound term
A software system that facilitates the creation and maintenance and use of an electronic database.
electronic databasenounCompound term
A database that can be accessed by computers.
lexical databasenounCompound term
A database of information about words.
object-oriented databasenounCompound term
A database in which the operations carried out on information items (data objects) are considered part of their definition.
object-oriented database management systemnounCompound term
A database management system designed to manage an object-oriented database.

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.