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
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are certificatingprogressive
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is certificatingprogressive
-
have been certificatingperfect progressive
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has been certificatingperfect progressive
Past
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certificatedsimple
-
had certificatedperfect
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was certificatingprogressive
-
were certificatingprogressive
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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:
But Tatiana couldn’t resist one indulgence: In a folder, she placed a lock of baby hair that she kept from Alisa and Stupnikov’s infancy, as well as some old photos and his high school certificate.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 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 Los Angeles County Department of Public Health cited Parkinson’s disease as the actor’s immediate cause of death, according to his death certificate obtained by TMZ.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
But this is only possible once they submit a death certificate.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
However, the Icelandic court questioned the Japanese marriage certificate that Miyoko presented because it was only a photocopy, and she had difficulty proving that she was in fact Bobby’s legal wife.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
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
A more common positive impact is for those who hold cash-like assets with interest rates that respond to the federal-funds rate: mainly, savings accounts, money-market accounts and short-term certificates of deposit.
From MarketWatch ● 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
The organisation offers a free service providing travel certificates explaining a person's condition which can be shown to airport staff, but Lisa wants that information translated into better understanding.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
Instead, in neat rows, were the certificates of students who had passed the Fourth Grade Spring Benchmark Writing Test, a section of the Texas state exams.
From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove
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
The certificated staff reductions are expected to yield savings of about $13 million, the district’s statement said.
From Seattle Times ● May 15, 2024
“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
Total by end of June, 1913, to be about 225 certificated aviators of whom a fair percentage hold the superior brevet.
From Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1913 by Various
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
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
