Is DATES a Wordle Word?

Yes. DATES is a valid Wordle word.

It is not on the Wordle answer list, so it is unlikely to be a daily answer.

Plurals ending in S are almost never chosen as Wordle answers.

What does DATES mean?

/deɪts/

The fruit of the date palm, Phoenix dactylifera, somewhat in the shape of an olive, containing a soft, sweet pulp and enclosing a hard kernel.“We made a nice cake from dates.”
The date palm.“There were a few dates planted around the house.”

The addition to a writing, inscription, coin, etc., which specifies the time (especially the day, month, and year) when the writing or inscription was given, executed, or made.“the date of a letter, of a will, of a deed, of a coin, etc.”
A specific day in time at which a transaction or event takes place, or is appointed to take place; a given point of time.“Do you know the date of the wedding?”
A point in time.“You may need that at a later date.”

5 more noun definitions

Assigned end; conclusion.
Given or assigned length of life; duration.
A pre-arranged meeting.“I arranged a date with my Australian business partners.”
One's companion for social activities or occasions.“I brought Melinda to the wedding as my date.”
A romantic meeting or outing with a lover or potential lover, or the person so met.“The cinema is a popular place to take someone on a date.”

To note the time or place of writing or executing; to express in an instrument the time of its execution.“to date a letter, a bond, a deed, or a charter”
To note or fix the time of (an event); to give the date of.
To determine the age of something.“to date the building of the pyramids”

5 more verb definitions

To take (someone) on a date, or a series of dates.
(by extension) To have a steady relationship with; to be romantically involved with.
(by extension) To have a steady relationship with each other; to be romantically involved with each other.“They met a couple of years ago, but have been dating for about five months.”
To make or become old, especially in such a way as to fall out of fashion, become less appealing or attractive, etc.“The comedian dated himself by making quips about bands from the 1960s.”
(with from) To have beginning; to begin; to be dated or reckoned.

Definition from Wiktionary, available under the CC BY-SA license.

Starter word rating: GoodIn the top 5% of all valid Wordle words for testing common letters.
Vowels: A, E
Unique letters: 5 of 5
Common letters: A, T, E

Hard-mode trap: 13 valid words fit the pattern _ATES. If you reach it, you may need several guesses to find the last letter.

Letter ratings use how often each letter appears in Wordle answers.

Tap its tiles to the colours Wordle showed, and the Wordle Solver lists every word that still fits, with the best next guess.