diary
Americannoun
-
diaries
plural
-
a daily record, usually private, especially of the writer's own experiences, observations, feelings, attitudes, etc.
-
a book for keeping such a record.
-
a book or pad containing pages marked and arranged in calendar order, in which to note appointments and the like.
noun
-
a personal record of daily events, appointments, observations, etc
-
a book for keeping such a record
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of diary
1575–85; < Latin diārium daily allowance, journal, equivalent to di ( ēs ) day + -ārium -ary
Explanation
Dear diary, you are a written record of things that happen each day. Some people keep a diary while they’re traveling, others keep their secrets in a diary. Either way, keep out! Some diaries have a pretty cover and a tiny lock with a key, for keeping the contents safe from prying eyes. You can also call such a book a "journal," although traditionally a diary is written in each day, while a journal might have less frequent entries. The word diary comes from the Latin word diarium, "daily allowance," with its root of dies, or "day."
Vocabulary lists containing diary
TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Lesson 2–3
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Excerpt from "Kira-Kira"
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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 diary is exactly what you would want, recounting who he saw and what they said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
More remarkably, he produced a leather diary from 2019, in which he had noted that Wright had stopped by to drop off an old trailer.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
Prior to the hearing, Paul released thousands of pages of the immunologist's personal diary.
From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026
Test your news knowledge: Who was brought before a Senate subcommittee this week after pages from his personal diary were released by Sen. Rand Paul?
From Slate ● Jul. 31, 2026
Does that mean that the girl who wrote the last diary was...”
From "The (Mostly) True Story of Cleopatra's Needle" by Dan Gutman
Newly released diaries tell a different story from what he told you.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
Davey Hoy, softly spoken and with a neat white beard, produced his diaries from the time, where the meeting was clearly recorded.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
Both books anchor their narratives around celebrities of their respective eras and make ample and illuminating use of diaries and correspondences—frequently between world leaders but also by soldiers, slave laborers, crime victims and nightclub denizens.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 2026
One of the most beloved things about Freddy’s American road trip diaries is that he never shows his face.
From Salon ● Jun. 17, 2026
In 1944, when Planck was eighty-five, an Allied bomb fell on his house and he lost everything–papers, diaries, a lifetime of accumulations.
From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
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.
