documentation

American  

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

noun

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.

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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

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Other Word Forms

• documentational adjective

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.

Example Sentences

“State voter registration systems aren’t set up to contain a record of what documentation has been presented. There’s a huge IT component to this,” Diaz said.

From Salon • Apr. 16, 2026

The Department of Transportation confirmed to The Times that it had received the necessary documentation.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026

“When capital becomes scarce, it normalizes and can reverse the supply-demand imbalance that benefited borrowers in recent years. Typically, spreads widen, structures tighten, and documentation improves.”

From Barron's • Apr. 8, 2026

But it is some of the work, the documentation, the rote things you need to do, is where I would say the work remains to be done.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026

All I could really do was read work-related e-mails, view support documentation and procedural manuals, and check my call time statistics.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline

Related Words

• affidavit
• authentication
• authorization
• certification
• coupon
• credential
• deed
• diploma
• guarantee
• license
• paper
• permit
• receipt
• ticket
• voucher
• warrant
• warranty