Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Showing results for documentation. Search instead for documentation processes.
Synonyms

documentation

American  
[dok-yuh-men-tey-shuhn, -muhn-] / ˌdɒk jə mɛnˈteɪ ʃən, -mən- /

noun

  • documentations
    plural
  1. the use of documentary evidence.

  2. a furnishing with documents, as to substantiate a claim or the data in a book or article.

  3. Computers. manuals, listings, diagrams, and other hard- or soft-copy written and graphic materials that describe the use, operation, maintenance, or design of software or hardware.

    The documentation for the driver program is displayed on the screen.


documentation British  
/ ˌdɒkjʊmɛnˈteɪʃən /

noun

  1. the act of supplying with or using documents or references

  2. the documents or references supplied

  3. the furnishing and use of documentary evidence, as in a court of law

  4. computing the written comments, graphical illustrations, flowcharts, manuals, etc, supplied with a program or software system

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

Etymology

Origin of documentation

First recorded in 1745–55; document + -ation

Explanation

Your driver's license is documentation of your age, address, and that you have passed the tests required to drive a car. Documentation is certifiable proof, or a set of official documents. Your new computer probably came with a packet of documentation that shows you how to use it and explains what to do when it breaks. In this sense, documentation means the official documents of your computer. If you are the person preparing a packet of information about how to use a computer program to keep attendance at school, you are preparing the documentation of that process.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing documentation

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:

She said the museum had documentation for everything Kinghan had provided and that the forms did not offer any stipulations for the items and services provided.

From BBC Sep. 19, 2026

They heard from dozens of witnesses and received voluminous amounts of official and expert documentation.

From BBC Sep. 15, 2026

The New York-based company uses AI technology in its software geared for use in urgent care centers where staff uses it for diagnosis, documentation, coding and collections, among other things.

From The Wall Street Journal Sep. 14, 2026

The plaintiffs alleged the department relied on documentation that “is the product of a biased, closed-off ‘process’ that ignored valid concerns raised by the public.”

From Los Angeles Times Sep. 10, 2026

But there are no photographs to document Ashoke’s childhood; not until his passport, not until his life in America, does visual documentation exist.

From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri

Cote never expected her family’s rudimentary documentations to be used for any kind of analysis.

From Washington Post Oct. 6, 2021

What might seem like insider jokes about art, branding and “lifestyles” ultimately resulted in cringe-worthy documentations of downtown New York’s transformation into a retail mecca, with artists pushed out by gentrification.

From New York Times Dec. 2, 2020

“You have to produce some documentations supporting your contention.”

From US News May 18, 2016

Douglas did not respond to repeated interview requests from The Associated Press, but campaign spokeswoman Sandra Dowling said Friday that “there are plenty of documentations to completely validate Diane Douglas’ position on Common Core.”

From Washington Times Oct. 31, 2014

If we get enough, we will re-release this file, with the lengthy documentations at the end of the file contained herein.

From The Jargon File, Version 2.9.10, 01 Jul 1992 by Eric S. Raymond

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Dictionary.com's Learning Companion

Go beyond just looking up words.
Remember them forever with VocabTrainer.

Start training