documentation
Americannoun
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the use of documentary evidence.
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a furnishing with documents, as to substantiate a claim or the data in a book or article.
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Computers. manuals, listings, diagrams, and other hard- or soft-copy written and graphic materials that describe the use, operation, maintenance, or design of software or hardware.
The documentation for the driver program is displayed on the screen.
noun
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the act of supplying with or using documents or references
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the documents or references supplied
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the furnishing and use of documentary evidence, as in a court of law
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computing the written comments, graphical illustrations, flowcharts, manuals, etc, supplied with a program or software system
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of documentation
Explanation
Your driver's license is documentation of your age, address, and that you have passed the tests required to drive a car. Documentation is certifiable proof, or a set of official documents. Your new computer probably came with a packet of documentation that shows you how to use it and explains what to do when it breaks. In this sense, documentation means the official documents of your computer. If you are the person preparing a packet of information about how to use a computer program to keep attendance at school, you are preparing the documentation of that process.
Vocabulary lists containing documentation
TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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Reference
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Writing - High School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
She sent these off in October, along with all the documentation which had been asked for – but has still not received anything.
From BBC • Jun. 8, 2026
The change has left many Americans who spent years collecting documentation uncertain about their prospects.
From Barron's • Jun. 7, 2026
The neighborhood, described as the heart of immigrant Los Angeles, also has been the target of raids by federal immigration agents seeking to arrest residents without documentation.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 4, 2026
Researchers noted that many apparent wolverine sightings were rejected because they did not satisfy strict documentation requirements.
From Science Daily • Jun. 1, 2026
Did he travel with any documentation that would make it possible for Native Time Inhabitants to interpret OELC?
From "The First State of Being" by Erin Entrada Kelly
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
