Showing results for "data"

• plural of datum.

data

American  

[dey-tuh, dat-uh] / ˈdeɪ tə, ˈdæt ə /

noun

1. (usually used with a singular verb) information in digital format, as encoded text or numbers, or multimedia images, audio, or video.

   The data was corrupted and can’t be retrieved.

   Data is entered for immediate processing by the computer.

2. (used with a singular verb) a body of facts; information.

   Additional data is available from the president of the firm.

3. (used with a plural verb) individual facts, statistics, or items of information.

   These data represent the results of our analyses.

4. a plural of datum.

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data British  

/ ˈdeɪtə, ˈdɑːtə /

plural noun

1. a series of observations, measurements, or facts; information

2. Also called: information.  computing the information operated on by a computer program

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Usage

Data is a plural of datum, which is originally a Latin noun meaning “something given.” Today, data is used in English both as a plural noun meaning “facts or pieces of information” ( These data are described more fully elsewhere ) and as a singular mass noun meaning “information” ( Not much data is available on flood control in Brazil ). It is usually treated as a plural in scientific and academic writing. In the digital or computer sense it is almost always treated as a mass noun and used with a singular verb. In other types of writing it is either singular or plural. The Latinate singular datum meaning “a piece of information” is now rare in all types of writing. In surveying and civil engineering, where datum has specialized senses, the plural form is datums.

Although now often used as a singular noun, data is properly a plural

Other Word Forms

• predata
  noun

Etymology

Origin of data

First recorded in 1640–50; from Latin, plural of datum ( def. )

Explanation

Data is information such as facts and numbers used to analyze something or make decisions. Computer data is information in a form that can be processed by a computer. Data is the plural of Latin datum, "something given." In scientific use, the word data is often considered to be a plural noun meaning "pieces of information": The data are reliable. But most people think of data as a mass noun meaning "information" and use the word with a singular verb and pronoun: The data is reliable because it was tested by experts.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

data

Now, it lacks water at a time of soaring demand from consumers and new industries like data centers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026

Around 55,000 manufacturing jobs have already been lost in Canada from January 2025 to January 2026, according to Bank of Canada data.

From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026

SB Energy also warned investors in its draft filing that its ability to finance the Ohio data center project depends significantly on Nvidia’s agreement to provide a residual value guarantee.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026

According to data by the Royal Bank of Canada, external, the average effective US tariff rate on Canada in June was 2.9% - the lowest among major US trade partners.

From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026

Ophelia worked on gathering data, which meant walking from village to village, sometimes with Farmer, other times with local youths he’d recruited.

From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French

Related Words

• dossier
• evidence
• goods
• info
• input
• knowledge
• picture
• statistics
• testimony