diary
Americannoun
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diaries
plural
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a daily record, usually private, especially of the writer's own experiences, observations, feelings, attitudes, etc.
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a book for keeping such a record.
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a book or pad containing pages marked and arranged in calendar order, in which to note appointments and the like.
noun
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a personal record of daily events, appointments, observations, etc
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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)
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Lesson 2–3
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Excerpt from "Kira-Kira"
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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:
Det Con Tom Ryan said the discovery of the diary entry was a "game-changer"
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
They are not keeping a diary for themselves.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
In 1997, Lewyn discovered a published diary, kept by a factory manager who oversaw Trawniki inmates as they sewed coats, hats, and shoes for the German army.
From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
But the Fauci diaries also point to another factor: the media.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
In her teenage years, she doodled poems in her diaries and made up verses about physics to help her remember things for her exams.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 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
Many officials have kept diaries or journals that they later used to inform their books, including Carter-era NSC adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 4, 2026
But the words that the Endurance crew wrote in their diaries speak to her.
From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti
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.
