diploma
Americannoun
plural
diplomas,plural
diplomata-
a document given by an educational institution conferring a degree on a person or certifying that the person has satisfactorily completed a course of study.
-
a document conferring some honor, privilege, or power.
-
a public or official document, especially one of historical interest.
a diploma from Carolingian times.
verb (used with object)
noun
-
a document conferring a qualification, recording success in examinations or successful completion of a course of study
-
an official document that confers an honour or privilege
Other Word Forms
- prediploma noun
- undiplomaed adjective
Etymology
Origin of diploma
1635–45; < Latin diplōma a letter of recommendation, an official document < Greek díplōma a letter folded double, equivalent to diplō-, variant stem of diploûn to double (derivative of diplóos; diplo- ) + -ma suffix of result
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.
But unlike many other university courses his - a higher national diploma in building surveying at the University of Greenwich - was only two years long, with annual tuition fees of about £6,000.
From BBC • Feb. 6, 2026
The exhibition’s opening gallery, graced by the artists’ portraits and their diploma paintings for the Royal Academy, sets the stage for the brilliant dialogue that stretched throughout their careers.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 4, 2026
Then spike your diploma to the floor and walk out.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 20, 2026
"Even if the medal or diploma later comes into someone else's possession, this does not alter who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize," it added.
From Barron's • Jan. 16, 2026
After receiving his undergraduate diploma, Walt took a job with Hughes Aircraft, which sent him to Tucson for three years, where he earned a master’s degree in antenna theory at the University of Arizona.
From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer
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.
