DictionaryAI

data

noun
DAY-tuh/ˈdeɪ.tə/SayDAH-tuhUK/ˈdɑː.tə/[ˈdäː.ɾə]

3 meanings of data

Practice

  1. 1
    factsnouncollectiveuncountable
    Facts or numbers collected to help people understand something, discuss it, or work things out.

    Like the facts you write down in a notebook so you can study them later.

    The teacher collected data on how much sleep each student got.

    We need more data before we can say which plan works best.

    UsageSay the data shows or the data show, and more data (not incorrect: datas).

    Similarinformation (entry), facts, figures, statistics, evidence

  2. 2
    computer informationnouncollectiveuncountable
    Information that a computer stores, works with, or sends, like text, numbers, pictures, and sound.

    Like the words and pictures saved inside a computer's memory.

    The phone saves all your photos as data on a tiny chip.

    This small hard drive can hold a lot of data, like photos and songs.

    UsageSay a lot of data and too much data.

    Similarinformation (entry)

    Note
  3. 3
    phone internetnoununcountableabbreviationellipsis
    Internet your phone gets over the mobile network, not Wi-Fi, or how much your plan allows. Short for mobile data.

    I ran out of data before the end of the month.

    Watching videos on the bus uses up your data fast.

    UsageSay run out of data or use up your data.

    Note

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of data apart? Answer 4 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

From Latin data, the plural of datum, meaning 'that which is given.' It comes from the Latin verb dō, 'I give.'

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 4 facts