big data
noun
Did you know?
Big data is a new addition to our language, but exactly how new is not an easy matter to determine. A 1980 paper by Charles Tilly provides an early documented use of big data, but Tilly wasn't using the word in the exact same way we use it today; rather, he used the phrase "big-data people" to refer to historians engaged in data-rich fields such as cliometrics. Today, big data can refer to large data sets or to systems and solutions developed to manage such large accumulations of data, as well as for the branch of computing devoted to this development. Francis X. Diebold, a University of Pennsylvania economist, who has written a paper exploring the origin of big data as a term, a phenomenon, and a field of study, believes the term "probably originated in lunch-table conversations at Silicon Graphics Inc. (SGI) in the mid 1990s…."
Examples of big data in a Sentence
Mika Newton, Forbes, 20 Mar. 2025
At the same time, a country’s research and technology can help mitigate the environmental impact of growth by leveraging technology such as artificial intelligence, temperature and flow sensors, and big data to optimize energy use in buildings and urban environments.
—Saadia Zahidi, Foreign Affairs, 17 Jan. 2025
According to recent market reports, the global big data in the healthcare market is projected to reach $540 billion by 2035.
—Harrison Muiru, Forbes, 11 Mar. 2025
This inclusivity is vital not only for developing treatments that are effective for all demographics but providing a solution to the big data needs that may otherwise exacerbate health inequities.
—Paula Schneider, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for big data
Cite this Entry
“Big data.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/big%20data. Accessed 28 Mar. 2025.
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