certificate
Americannoun
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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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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
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have been certificatingperfect progressive
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has been certificatingperfect progressive
Past
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certificatedsimple
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had certificatedperfect
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was certificatingprogressive
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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:
Contacted by AFP, the defendant Japan ERI, which granted the certificate for the construction plan, declined to comment.
From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026
An FAA spokesman said the tour company’s operating certificate remains suspended.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026
Once I had all that and my sister’s death certificate, I emailed it all to the insurer and received my reimbursement about a week later.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026
For Saroj, the most important outcome of the inquest was the detail added to Gareth's death certificate, describing how the lack of care he had received in prison contributed to his death.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
Then I realized that I would need a passport, and that without a real birth certificate, I was unlikely to get one.
From "Educated" by Tara Westover
County records show Vicky Liang submitted an additional eight marriage applications between April 2025 and June, resulting in seven marriage certificates.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
A makeshift morgue is operating outdoors in the port of La Guaira, where long lines form to receive the bodies of loved ones and the death certificates.
From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026
She removed the frame to reveal several more certificates safely secured under the first, like a stack of reminders to keep climbing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 27, 2026
"However, it is my hope that by formally recognising their loss the certificates may offer them a degree of comfort."
From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026
He said he liked to go to doctors’ offices and see their certificates and degrees on the wall.
From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez
A projected labor shortage of nearly 7,000 certificated mechanics in North America next year is 12% fewer than needed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 26, 2026
In 2023, over 39,000 of the 540,920 certificated grades were appealed.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 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
To disregard talent openly placarded and certificated was no longer possible.
From Aspects of Modern Oxford by Godley, A. D. (Alfred Denis)
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 Putnam, J. Harold
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.
