data

noun

da·​ta ˈdā-tə  ˈda- 

also

ˈdä- 

plural in form but singular or plural in construction

often attributive

1

: factual information (such as measurements or statistics) used as a basis for reasoning, discussion, or calculation

the data is plentiful and easily available

—H. A. Gleason, Jr.

comprehensive data on economic growth have been published

—N. H. Jacoby

2

: information in digital form that can be transmitted or processed

3

: information output by a sensing device or organ that includes both useful and irrelevant or redundant information and must be processed to be meaningful

Is data singular or plural?: Usage Guide

Data leads a life of its own quite independent of datum, of which it was originally the plural. It occurs in two constructions: as a plural noun (like earnings), taking a plural verb and plural modifiers (such as these, many, a few) but not cardinal numbers, and serving as a referent for plural pronouns (such as they, them); and as an abstract mass noun (like information), taking a singular verb and singular modifiers (such as this, much, little), and being referred to by a singular pronoun (it). Both constructions are standard. The plural construction is more common in print, evidently because the house style of several publishers mandates it.

Synonyms

• facts
• information

Examples of data in a Sentence

Smith, himself a stay-at-home dad and a journalist, mixes accessible summaries of social-science data with anecdotes drawn from interviews with couples in which the men have chosen, or have been compelled by economic circumstance, to become primary caregivers to their children. —Eduardo M. Pealver, Commonweal, 11 Sept. 2009

He plays Chuck Bartowski, a computer-tech expert with the Buy More store's Nerd Herd … who unwittingly becomes a secret agent when government data is downloaded to his brain. —Michael Logan, TV Guide, September 10-16, 2007

As measurements get better and more data pour in, physicists will bring those errors under control and chart exciting new territory. But for many, the wait is a strain. —Charles Seife, Science, 2 May 2003

By studying obscure demographic and economic data, he deduced that the Soviets were in crisis—and spending a far bigger slice of its national income on defense than anyone had suspected. —John Barry et al., Newsweek, 21 May 2001

we are putting together all the data we have obtained on the local housing market

Recent Examples on the Web

This data is preliminary, subject to change and based on information from the last week of November, ending November 30. —Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2024

This year was also different than last year because the final data points were different. —Chris Vannini, The Athletic, 9 Dec. 2024

Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. —Keith Caulfield, Billboard, 8 Dec. 2024

The publicly available data offers just a glimpse of what St. Peter’s knew was a much bigger problem. —J. David McSwane, ProPublica, 7 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin, plural of datum — see datum

First Known Use

1630, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing data

• big data
• data bank
• data file
• data mining
• data processing
• data recovery
• data set
• data structure
• flight data recorder

Kids Definition

data

singular or plural noun

da·​ta ˈdāt-ə  ˈdat- 

 also  ˈdät-

1

: facts about something that can be used in calculating, reasoning, or planning

2

: information in numerical form for use especially in a computer

Medical Definition

data

noun, plural in form but singular or plural in construction

da·​ta ˈdāt-ə  ˈdat-  ˈdät- 

: factual information (as measurements or statistics) used as a basis for reasoning, discussion, or calculation

the data is plentiful and easily available

—H. A. Gleason, Jr.

comprehensive data on the incidence of Lyme disease