documentation
Americannoun
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the use of documentary evidence.
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a furnishing with documents, as to substantiate a claim or the data in a book or article.
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Computers. manuals, listings, diagrams, and other hard- or soft-copy written and graphic materials that describe the use, operation, maintenance, or design of software or hardware.
The documentation for the driver program is displayed on the screen.
noun
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the act of supplying with or using documents or references
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the documents or references supplied
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the furnishing and use of documentary evidence, as in a court of law
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computing the written comments, graphical illustrations, flowcharts, manuals, etc, supplied with a program or software system
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of documentation
Explanation
Your driver's license is documentation of your age, address, and that you have passed the tests required to drive a car. Documentation is certifiable proof, or a set of official documents. Your new computer probably came with a packet of documentation that shows you how to use it and explains what to do when it breaks. In this sense, documentation means the official documents of your computer. If you are the person preparing a packet of information about how to use a computer program to keep attendance at school, you are preparing the documentation of that process.
Vocabulary lists containing documentation
TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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Reference
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Writing - High School
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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.
"Documentation is the first step in conservation -- we can't safeguard a species from extinction if we don't know it exists."
From Science Daily • Dec. 24, 2025
The government department in charge of these archives is a bureaucratic mouthful: the Authority for Information Concerning Documentation of the Former State Security Service.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 30, 2025
Documentation indicating that Cook consistently listed the Atlanta property as a second home makes it difficult to claim she misrepresented her intent to the lender, according to a housing law expert cited by Reuters.
From Salon • Sep. 13, 2025
Documentation was our biggest focus, and that careful work is what allows us to speak now with authority and urgency.
From Slate • Aug. 28, 2025
If it turns out that you need more details, see the excellent |PPP HOWTO| from the Linux Documentation Project.
From Debian GNU/Linux : Guide to Installation and Usage by Goerzen, John
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.
