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
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; see diplo-) + -ma suffix of result
Explanation
A diploma is a document people receive when they graduate from a school or program. It is a symbol of academic success. You often see framed diplomas displayed in a doctor's office. Are you working toward a diploma? Then you must be in school. People receive high school and college diplomas, which they usually receive during a graduation ceremony. You could also get a diploma for a shorter series of classes in something like pottery, skydiving, or marksmanship. Even a dog could get a diploma for passing obedience school. Any time someone gets a diploma, you can be sure they finished a course or program of learning.
Vocabulary lists containing diploma
A Graduation Lexicon
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Education and Academics, List 1
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocabulary for June 3–June 9, 2023
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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.
But having a diploma on the wall is no guarantee of your lawyer’s competence or ethics.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 24, 2026
He also took night classes and got his high-school diploma.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026
After getting a fashion design diploma at a Glasgow college, Hyslop did a six-week course with the King's Foundation, through which she discovered the luxury mill in her backyard.
From Barron's • Feb. 20, 2026
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
Among us children, Melina's diploma from obedience school was seen as the biggest joke since our brother's graduation from Sanderson High.
From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris
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.
