document

American  

[dok-yuh-muhnt, dok-yuh-ment] / ˈdɒk jə mənt, ˈdɒk jəˌmɛnt /

noun

• documents
  plural

1. a written or printed paper furnishing information or evidence, as a passport, deed, bill of sale, or bill of lading; a legal or official paper.

   You'll need documents from your employers and your bank to prepare your income tax return.

2. any written item, as a book, article, or letter, especially of a factual or informative nature.

   The leaked document proves that the management team knew about the safety issues before the product launch.

3. Digital Technology. a computer data file, especially one with formatted text.

   Luckily, I saved my document right before the power went out.

4. Archaic. evidence; proof.

---

verb (used with object)

• documents,
  present (3rd person singular)
• documented,
  past participle,  past
• documenting
  present participle

1. to furnish with documents.

2. to furnish with references, citations, etc., in support of statements made.

   a carefully documented biography.

   Synonyms:

   validate, substantiate, verify, corroborate

3. to support by documentary evidence.

   to document a case.

4. Nautical. to provide (a vessel) with a certificate giving particulars concerning nationality, ownership, tonnage, dimensions, etc.

5. Obsolete. to instruct.

document British  

noun

1. a piece of paper, booklet, etc, providing information, esp of an official or legal nature

2. a piece of text or text and graphics stored in a computer as a file for manipulation by document processing software

3. archaic evidence; proof

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verb

1. to record or report in detail, as in the press, on television, etc

   the trial was well documented by the media

2. to support (statements in a book) with citations, references, etc

3. to support (a claim, etc) with evidence or proof

4. to furnish (a vessel) with official documents specifying its ownership, registration, weight, dimensions, and function

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• documenter
  noun
• redocument
  verb (used with object)
• documentable
  adjective
• nondocumented
  adjective
• well-documented
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• documents
  plural

Participles

• documenting
  present
• documented
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• document
  simple
• documents
  simple
• have documented
  perfect
• has documented
  perfect
• am documenting
  progressive
• are documenting
  progressive
• is documenting
  progressive
• have been documenting
  perfect progressive
• has been documenting
  perfect progressive

Past

• documented
  simple
• had documented
  perfect
• was documenting
  progressive
• were documenting
  progressive
• had been documenting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will document
  simple
• will have documented
  perfect
• will be documenting
  progressive
• will have been documenting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of document

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin documentum “example (as precedent, warning, etc.),” from doc(ēre) “to teach” + -u- (variant of -i- -i- before labials) + -mentum -ment

Explanation

A document is a piece of paper that contains official information. Don't you wish you had a document saying that the bank owed you $5 million? Document comes from the Latin verb meaning "to teach," so a document instructs you with the information it contains. Legal documents such as contracts contain instructions on how the people signing it will act. Passports, driver’s licenses and birth certificates are all official documents. As a verb, document means "to record in detail," or "offer supporting evidence for." If you call a company to complain about something, make sure to document your phone calls by noting the date you called, who you spoke to and what was said.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

document documents documented documenting

Another document, dated 12 September 2001, said the plot's existence was "widely known" in extremist circles.

From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026

The fund’s returns have moderated in recent years, according to the document, though it has never lost money in a calendar year, including in 2008.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

Yet the festival makes millions of dollars in revenue, and has become a popular event with tech CEOs and celebrities who chronically document their experiences on social media.

From Salon ● Sep. 11, 2026

To remove or alter them in an existing document is a “complete violation of scientific integrity,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026

And while the content of the secret study was certainly interesting, what was really sparking the nation’s interest was the mystery—where did the Times get this explosive document?

From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin

The inquiry released thousands of documents which shed new light on what was going on inside the hospital.

From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026

J. Richard Dema, a former marketer and entertainment producer in Chicago, had left behind five filing cabinets of work-related documents including client notes and an unfinished book.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026

The 170,000 documents, released by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani ahead of the tragedy’s 25th anniversary, detail how the public was repeatedly reassured that the air near the collapsed towers was safe.

From Salon ● Sep. 12, 2026

Keep original documents, certificates of coverage, premium records, small print relating to your benefits, and reference numbers of all communications/complaints.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 12, 2026

After dinner, Ellsberg drove to Rand and got another batch of documents from his safe.

From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin

The golf-mad president -- whose relaxed relationship with the game's rules was documented by sports journalist Rick Reilly in the 2019 book "Commander in Cheat" -- may even award the trophy on Sunday.

From Barron's ● Sep. 12, 2026

As has been well documented by the International Association of Firefighters, on the day of the attack, scores of firefighters died because they did not hear the order to evacuate the towers.

From Salon ● Sep. 11, 2026

This pattern has been well documented among Holocaust survivors, many of whom believed that silence would allow their children to grow up “normally.”

From Slate ● Sep. 11, 2026

Scientists estimate there may be between 14 and 30 million insect species, and most have not yet been formally documented.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 9, 2026

What Martha Washington said or wrote directly about Ona’s escape is not documented.

From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis

Carlos Gauna, who has been documenting sharks for roughly a decade, regularly posts such videos to his YouTube channel, TheMalibuArtist.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026

They’re documenting getting their kids dressed, fed and on time to class and sharing tips on how to pack lunches or plan a week’s worth of outfits to avoid decision-fatigue.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

She launched herself into the mainstream in the 1960s with an expose of New York City's Playboy Club, documenting the harsh conditions she faced working undercover as a Playboy Bunny.

From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026

A psychiatrist, psychologist or another qualified mental-health provider can evaluate him and create medical records documenting his diagnosis, history, treatment and limitations.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026

TeLinde set out to minimize what he called “unjustifiable hysterectomies” by documenting what wasn’t cervical cancer and by urging surgeons to verify smear results with biopsies before operating.

From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot

Related Words

• archive
• certificate
• diary
• evidence
• form
• paper
• record
• report
• script
• testimony