data

data — noun

1. facts, numbers, or other pieces of information that are gathered for studying, d

1.nounB1
Definition

facts, numbers, or other pieces of information that are gathered for studying, drawing conclusions, or supporting decisions — including electronic content that computers store and process.

Example

The research team collected data from over two thousand patients across six hospitals.

collect + data + from + [source]

Shanti lost all her data when her laptop hard drive suddenly stopped working.

lose + data (digital/computing context)

Common collocations
  • collect / gather data
  • analyse / examine / study data
  • data set
  • raw data
  • personal data
  • data analysis
Synonyms
  • information

    Broader term — can refer to any knowledge or facts, not necessarily organised or collected for a specific purpose

  • statistics

    Specifically numerical data that has been collected and analysed, often presented in tables or graphs

  • figures

    Numerical facts or amounts, commonly used in financial or business contexts

Grammar Patterns

data + about/on + noun phrase

data + that-clause

a piece/bit/set of data

Usage Note

In formal academic writing, 'data' is traditionally treated as the plural of 'datum' (these data show…), but in everyday and professional English it is nearly always used as an uncountable noun (this data shows…, a large amount of data, not many data). The choice depends on the register you are writing in.

Common Mistakes

We need to collect more datas for the report.
We need to collect more data for the report.
'Data' has no regular plural form; it is uncountable or already a plural.
She gave me many data about the project.
She gave me a lot of data about the project.
Use 'a lot of' or 'a large amount of' with 'data', not 'many'.
Idioms

a mine of information/data (about/on somebody/something)

idiom

Something or someone that provides a large amount of useful facts about a specific topic.

Our history teacher is a mine of information about ancient Egypt.

Did you know that the library's archive is a mine of data on local weather patterns?

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

These three words are closely related but differ in scope and specificity. 'Data' refers to raw, unprocessed facts and figures that have been collected for analysis — it is the foundation upon which conclusions are built. 'Information' is a broader term that can mean any knowledge, news, or facts, whether structured or not; it often implies that the data has been organized or interpreted in some way. 'Statistics' is narrower: it refers specifically to numerical data that has been collected, analysed, and presented systematically, often in tables or charts. For example, a city government collects temperature readings and pollution measurements (data), analyses them to understand air quality patterns (information), and publishes the average figures as official statistics. When choosing which word to use, think about how processed the material is: raw and unprocessed → data; organised and meaningful → information; quantified and systematically presented → statistics.

data ↗information ↗statistics ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • a piece of data
  • a set of data
  • a vast amount of data
  • a wealth of data

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinEnglish

The word 'data' comes directly from Latin, where it is the plural of 'datum', meaning 'something given'. It goes back to the Latin verb 'dare' (to give). In the 1600s, English adopted 'data' from mathematics and philosophy to refer to given facts or premises that serve as the starting point for reasoning. The modern meaning — electronic information processed by computers — emerged in the mid-20th century with the rise of computing and digital storage.