dictation
Americannoun
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the act or manner of dictating for reproduction in writing.
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the act or manner of transcribing words uttered by another.
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words that are dictated or that are reproduced from dictation.
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the playing or singing of music to be notated by a listener, especially as a technique of training the ear.
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music notated from dictation.
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the act of commanding arbitrarily.
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something commanded.
noun
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the act of dictating material to be recorded or taken down in writing
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the material dictated
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authoritative commands or the act of giving them
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of dictation
1650–60; < Late Latin dictātiōn- (stem of dictātiō ) a dictating < Latin dictāt ( us ) ( see dictate) + -iōn- -ion
Explanation
If your boss asks you to take dictation, then she’s going to say stuff out loud that she wants you to document in writing. When she begins dictation make sure you write down everything she says — no doodling. If you’re a famous writer you might hire someone to take dictation so you can just speak and someone will write or type what you say. Dictation can describe the process of documenting spoken words, or the written words themselves. If you see an old movie with a man in a suit telling his secretary, "take this down," he's about to give dictation. A dictation can also be a command, like your dad's dictation that you mow the lawn.
Vocabulary lists containing dictation
Selection Vocabulary 1, Unit 1
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"The Necklace" and "The Fashion Show"
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Essential Word Roots: Dic and Dict
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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.
Along the same lines, dictation software has made a massive leap this year.
From Slate • May 24, 2026
Tech workers are walking around talking to AI, pairing dictation apps with coding tools to turn rambling prompts into usable text in seconds—a process that can be both efficient and obnoxious.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026
As the practice becomes more commonplace, so do the AI dictation apps.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 10, 2026
“AI and LLMs have changed the dynamic,” said CJ Pais, the San Diego-based creator of free voice-to-text dictation app Handy.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 29, 2026
It turned out that my mother had once spent about a year working for him as a secretary, taking dictation and maintaining the legal department’s files.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
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.
