certificate
Americannoun
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certificates
plural
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a document serving as evidence or as written testimony, as of status, qualifications, privileges, or the truth of something.
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a document attesting to the fact that a person has completed an educational course, issued either by an institution not authorized to grant diplomas, or to a student not qualifying for a diploma.
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Law. a statement, written and signed, which is by law made evidence of the truth of the facts stated, for all or for certain purposes.
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Finance.
verb (used with object)
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certificates,
present (3rd person singular)
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certificated,
past participle, past
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certificating
present participle
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to furnish with or authorize by a certificate.
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to issue an official certificate attesting to the training, aptitude, and qualification of.
to certificate a teacher.
noun
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an official document attesting the truth of the facts stated, as of birth, marital status, death, health, completion of an academic course, ability to practise a profession, etc
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short for share certificate
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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certificatesimple
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certificatessimple
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have certificatedperfect
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has certificatedperfect
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am certificatingprogressive
-
are certificatingprogressive
-
is certificatingprogressive
-
have been certificatingperfect progressive
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has been certificatingperfect progressive
Past
-
certificatedsimple
-
had certificatedperfect
-
was certificatingprogressive
-
were certificatingprogressive
-
had been certificatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of certificate
1375–1425; late Middle English certificat < Medieval Latin certificātum, noun use of neuter of certificātus certified (past participle of certificāre ), equivalent to certific- ( see certify) + -ātus -ate 1
Explanation
A certificate is a paper or document that proves some fact. Your most prized possession might be the certificate you got when you became a black belt in karate. Your fastidious friend might need to check the health inspection certificate before she'll agree to eat in a restaurant, and you'll need a copy of your birth certificate before you can apply for a passport. A certificate certifies or documents the fact that you are who you say you are, that you're licensed to drive, or authorized to practice dentistry, for example. You can trace the word certificate back to the Latin certus, "sure, fixed, settled."
Vocabulary lists containing certificate
The Judicial Branch
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Week 3 Spelling
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"CLEP Financial Accounting," Vocabulary from Chapter 4
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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.
See Examples For:
His publicist initially told the Associated Press that the renowned designer died of pneumonia, but a death certificate obtained by Us Weekly paints a different picture.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026
Omar says she no longer has her birth certificate, and records with the Somali government are unsurprisingly unavailable, given the country’s decades of internal turmoil.
From Slate ● Oct. 13, 2026
"The findings showed that he had met the professional and security requirements for employment, including holding a pilot's licence, providing a certificate of good conduct and completing the required checks."
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
“He had met the professional and security requirements for employment, including holding a pilot’s license, providing a certificate of good conduct and completing the required checks,” the U.A.E. attorney general said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
Disappointed, I returned to find that I had missed another visit, this one from the judges to leave a certificate of my prize and a beautiful gold and silver medal.
From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam
The Tehama County coroner’s office will amend the death certificates of the bus driver and passengers to say their cause of death was homicide, authorities said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
For the analysis, scientists examined births throughout Georgia between 2017 and 2022 and connected those records with death records for fathers named on birth certificates.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 8, 2026
Families like Lawat's have told the BBC they are struggling to obtain death certificates, affecting everything from accessing flood compensation to the transfer of properties and even inheritance.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
It will find high-paying savings accounts and ladder certificates of deposit without the owner’s learning what laddering means.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
In the glow of the fake sun, framed family pictures and yellowing birth and marriage certificates are attached to the other walls, like a shrine to Earth.
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
Next year, the labor shortage is projected to hit nearly 7,000 certificated mechanics in North America, 12% fewer than the industry actually needs, according to the industry report.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 26, 2026
“With the number of requirements and expectations already placed on certificated staff, this is an unreasonable and highly concerning expectation.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2023
Electric aircraft maker Eve Holding Inc is "on track" to meet its goal of starting commercial operations in 2026, an executive said on Friday, and getting its aircraft certificated is the most immediate target.
From Reuters ● Feb. 17, 2023
The union was also fighting for more pay for employees who aren’t certificated, including instructional assistants and office staff.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 14, 2022
About the same time he passed his first legal examination, and became a certificated lawyer.
From Tales From J?kai by M?r J?kai
It would seem that full local control was given except in the matter of certificating teachers and regulating the government grant.
From Egerton Ryerson and Education in Upper Canada by J. Harold Putnam
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.
