document
Americannoun
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a written or printed paper furnishing information or evidence, as a passport, deed, bill of sale, or bill of lading; a legal or official paper.
You'll need documents from your employers and your bank to prepare your income tax return.
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any written item, as a book, article, or letter, especially of a factual or informative nature.
The leaked document proves that the management team knew about the safety issues before the product launch.
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Digital Technology. a computer data file, especially one with formatted text.
Luckily, I saved my document right before the power went out.
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Archaic. evidence; proof.
verb (used with object)
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to furnish with documents.
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to furnish with references, citations, etc., in support of statements made.
a carefully documented biography.
- Synonyms:
- validate, substantiate, verify, corroborate
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to support by documentary evidence.
to document a case.
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Nautical. to provide (a vessel) with a certificate giving particulars concerning nationality, ownership, tonnage, dimensions, etc.
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Obsolete. to instruct.
noun
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a piece of paper, booklet, etc, providing information, esp of an official or legal nature
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a piece of text or text and graphics stored in a computer as a file for manipulation by document processing software
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archaic evidence; proof
verb
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to record or report in detail, as in the press, on television, etc
the trial was well documented by the media
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to support (statements in a book) with citations, references, etc
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to support (a claim, etc) with evidence or proof
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to furnish (a vessel) with official documents specifying its ownership, registration, weight, dimensions, and function
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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documenternoun
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redocumentverb (used with object)
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documentableadjective
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nondocumentedadjective
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well-documentedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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documentsimple
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documentssimple
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have documentedperfect
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has documentedperfect
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am documentingprogressive
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are documentingprogressive
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is documentingprogressive
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have been documentingperfect progressive
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has been documentingperfect progressive
Past
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documentedsimple
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had documentedperfect
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was documentingprogressive
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were documentingprogressive
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had been documentingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of document
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin documentum “example (as precedent, warning, etc.),” from doc(ēre) “to teach” + -u- (variant of -i- -i- before labials) + -mentum -ment
Explanation
A document is a piece of paper that contains official information. Don't you wish you had a document saying that the bank owed you $5 million? Document comes from the Latin verb meaning "to teach," so a document instructs you with the information it contains. Legal documents such as contracts contain instructions on how the people signing it will act. Passports, driver’s licenses and birth certificates are all official documents. As a verb, document means "to record in detail," or "offer supporting evidence for." If you call a company to complain about something, make sure to document your phone calls by noting the date you called, who you spoke to and what was said.
Vocabulary lists containing document
PARCC: Language of the Test (Grade 11)
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Word Generation Social Studies - Complex Questions Related to American Democracy
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Lesson 1
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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.
"We dotted every I, crossed every T, filled every document, attended every appointment. He was close to obtaining his legal status."
From Barron's • Jul. 9, 2026
By contrast, the Neanderthal genomes available so far document no recent Sapiens contribution within the last Neanderthal populations.
From Science Daily • Jul. 7, 2026
She knows Temerbek's name, she explains, because she saw his name on a document and remembered he had been known locally for his role in the Ukrainian police.
From BBC • Jul. 6, 2026
The company had projected Game Pass subscriptions would reach around 77 million this year, according to a document revealed during legal proceedings related to the Activision acquisition.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 6, 2026
“So I decided to do that with the Slater Loan Company. This is how it’s spelled on the document, ‘Company’ abbreviated as ‘Co.’
From "City Spies" by James Ponti
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.
