dossier

American  

[dos-ee-ay, -ee-er, daw-see-ay, -see-er, daw-syay] / ˈdɒs iˌeɪ, -i ər, ˈdɔ siˌeɪ, -si ər, dɔˈsjeɪ /

noun

• dossiers
  plural

1. a collection or file of documents on the same subject, especially a complete file containing detailed information about a person or topic.

   Synonyms:

   folder, report, record

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dossier British  

/ ˈdɒsɪˌeɪ, dosje, -sɪə /

noun

1. a collection of papers containing information on a particular subject or person

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Usage

What does dossier mean? A dossier is a collection of detailed information about a person or other subject. The word dossier is popularly associated with espionage, law enforcement, and politics. When used in these contexts, it often refers to a file that includes all the “dirt” on someone (such as secret negative information that could be used to blackmail them). Example: We’ve been tracking this guy for years—we have a 2,000-page dossier on him.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• dossiers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of dossier

1875–80; < French: bundle of documents with a label attached to the back or spine, equivalent to dos (< Latin dorsum ) back + -ier -ier ²

Explanation

If you’re a fan of spy movies, you’ve probably seen countless scenes in which an intrepid secret agent breaks into a secure government facility in order to steal a dossier, or a collection of files. Dossier, which emerged in French in the 19th century, is derived from the French word dos, meaning “back.” While the connection between “files” and “backs” isn’t certain, it may pertain to the fact that the labels of dossiers were originally affixed to the back, or spine, of each file. If you speak French, you can apply your knowledge to the pronunciation of this word; the final syllable is pronounced with a long a sound, rhyming with “day.”

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

dossier dossiers

Her later chapters can read like a dossier proving a point already made.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026

Speaking of obsession, Keen Umbehr sold off family property so he could close his law practice to work on the case; the couple created a 200-page dossier against one person they suspected.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026

Then, that data slab feeds off other sources to grow into a full-on digital dossier of your consumer attributes, bandied from advertiser to vendor to advertiser.

From Slate ● May 3, 2026

A 10-page dossier on Mr. Lynch—the American ICC official who was Mr. Khan’s right-hand man until he reported the assault allegation—was shared among researchers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 27, 2026

One student, among the best in the department, did not get so much as a request for his dossier.

From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez

Anthropic said the operation compiled what it described as "counter-accountability dossiers" on UN special rapporteurs who had criticised the UAE's conduct in Sudan.

From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026

As has been the case for many years, Pro Ref provides officials with pre-game dossiers about how teams play.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

Contractors prepare daily reports and dossiers on threat actors, identifying the poster’s name, location, date of birth, workplace, Social Security number, vehicle registration and criminal history when possible.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026

The testimony of Eusebio Ortiz, who was involved in a shooting in Ontario in October, and Carey Crook, revealed that ICE had replaced detailed operational dossiers with “baseball cards.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026

We weren't allowed to discuss our instructions in the weeks leading up to the carnaval, but Amber and I had swapped our dossiers.

From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton

Related Words

• summary