big data

noun

: an accumulation of data that is too large and complex for processing by traditional database management tools

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

Recent Examples on the Web

These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Has all this big data just created another layer of confusion and isolation? —

Anna Covert, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024 Now, though, advancements in AI, next-gen mobile communications and big data have meant that the technology has taken off and threatens to shake up a number of industries, including healthcare. —

New Atlas, 28 Oct. 2024 Kathleen Walch is a thought leader, dynamic presenter and keynote speaker covering AI, ML, and big data use cases, applications, and best practices. —

Kathleen Walch, Forbes, 26 Oct. 2024 The company released its first big data dump, covering the first half of 2023, last December. —

Todd Spangler, Variety, 19 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for big data