H. A. Gleason, Jr.N. H. Jacoby
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.
Examples of data in a Sentence
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
Celia Fernandez, CNBC, 28 Sep. 2024
That anybody who can generate a data viz is qualified to debate public health mandates.
—Bryan Vandyke, TIME, 28 Sep. 2024
By validating that proper data encryption is present for data at rest as well as in transit, businesses greatly reduce the possibility of security breaches and leaking their customer data.
—Rajat Sharma, Forbes, 27 Sep. 2024
As artificial intelligence and cloud storage hoover up more and more space on the nation’s computer servers, real estate developers are racing to build new data centers or convert existing buildings to data uses.
—Roger Vincent, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for data 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'data.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Data.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/data. Accessed 8 Oct. 2024.
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H. A. Gleason, Jr.
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