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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"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:
"This son of mine has no father, no birth certificate and no national number," Amira, whose name has been changed to protect her identity, tells the BBC.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
June hopes her SpaceX shares will eventually turn out to be like the Apple stock certificate hanging over her desk—worth much more than she ever could have imagined two decades ago.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
The city of Newark has been pressing for The GEO Group to permit a fire inspection and obtain a certificate of occupancy for the sprawling private jail.
From Salon ● Aug. 6, 2026
“If your family is homeless and sleeping in your car, you’re not really focused on where’s my birth certificate, where’s my documentation.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026
Luke was fifteen when he asked Mother if he could have a birth certificate.
From "Educated" by Tara Westover
For the 2025 calendar year, 20,685 deaths were attributed across the nation to COVID-19 on death certificates, according to the CDC.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
By then, the San Francisco family will have had their birth certificates notarized, had European officials record their fingerprints and transferred half a million Euros into an international investment fund.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
Ramezanisadeh and Pasandideh were given their citizenship certificates at a ceremony attended by Australian Interior Minister Tony Burke.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
During the 2024-25 academic year, 52,500 students under 18 earned certificates or associate degrees — nearly four times as many as a decade earlier, according to a National Student Clearinghouse research report.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026
Her study wall was covered with certificates of merit.
From "Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution" by Ji-li Jiang
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
The other certificated fern, Adiantum Reginæ, is a good deal like A. Victoriæ and is supposed to be a sport from it.
From Garden and Forest Weekly, Volume 1 No. 1, February 29, 1888 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
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.
