document

American  

[dok-yuh-muhnt, dok-yuh-ment] / ˈdɒk jə mənt, ˈdɒk jəˌmɛnt /

noun

• documents
  plural

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. Digital Technology. a computer data file, especially one with formatted text.

   Luckily, I saved my document right before the power went out.

4. Archaic. evidence; proof.

---

verb (used with object)

• documents,
  present (3rd person singular)
• documented,
  past participle,  past
• documenting
  present participle

1. to furnish with documents.

2. to furnish with references, citations, etc., in support of statements made.

   a carefully documented biography.

   Synonyms:

   validate, substantiate, verify, corroborate

3. to support by documentary evidence.

   to document a case.

4. Nautical. to provide (a vessel) with a certificate giving particulars concerning nationality, ownership, tonnage, dimensions, etc.

5. Obsolete. to instruct.

document British  

noun

1. a piece of paper, booklet, etc, providing information, esp of an official or legal nature

2. a piece of text or text and graphics stored in a computer as a file for manipulation by document processing software

3. archaic evidence; proof

---

verb

1. to record or report in detail, as in the press, on television, etc

   the trial was well documented by the media

2. to support (statements in a book) with citations, references, etc

3. to support (a claim, etc) with evidence or proof

4. to furnish (a vessel) with official documents specifying its ownership, registration, weight, dimensions, and function

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• documenter
  noun
• redocument
  verb (used with object)
• documentable
  adjective
• nondocumented
  adjective
• well-documented
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• documents
  plural

Participles

• documenting
  present
• documented
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• document
  simple
• documents
  simple
• have documented
  perfect
• has documented
  perfect
• am documenting
  progressive
• are documenting
  progressive
• is documenting
  progressive
• have been documenting
  perfect progressive
• has been documenting
  perfect progressive

Past

• documented
  simple
• had documented
  perfect
• was documenting
  progressive
• were documenting
  progressive
• had been documenting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will document
  simple
• will have documented
  perfect
• will be documenting
  progressive
• will have been documenting
  perfect progressive

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

document documents documented documenting

The Interior Department on Friday issued a document called a record of decision detailing its 10-year plan for dealing with water shortages along the river.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026

The fact that a few characters typed and deleted in his mother’s kitchen became a document the school could act on.

From Slate ● Aug. 21, 2026

However, experts and former Census Bureau officials have raised serious doubts about the accuracy of the document, suggesting the methodology is flawed.

From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026

She should be of sound mind and have testamentary capacity before signing any legal document, including and especially making a major change to her will.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026

The archive reflects the human need to document every deed and directive, to place a veil of administrative tidiness over the disorder of famines and plagues and natural disasters and crimes and wars.

From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann

The ACA Marketplace may ask for documents, including an employer or insurer notice, to verify when her coverage came to an end.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 22, 2026

For a time, according to court documents, he once handled the important job of “maintaining radios and communications” for Guzmán Salazar, ensuring that one of the most wanted men in Mexico could operate freely.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026

The men had all the required documents to work in the West African nation and were in "full compliance with the administrative regulations in force", Tony Comiti Productions, the company producing the show, said.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

District Court Judge Katherine Menendez dismissed the case, ultimately finding that Congress never authorized the attorney general to access voting records and documents that state officials create themselves.

From Slate ● Aug. 20, 2026

The cause of death was recorded as “heart failure,” according to documents at the church cemetery where the baby was buried.

From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

I want to make sure that her wishes are properly documented and that she is protected from any potential challenge to the new will.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026

These features differ from those documented in previously known mosasaurs.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 15, 2026

Scan the barcode of a grocery item and the app tells you whether it has a documented connection to Taylor Farms — including connections that may not be obvious from the package.

From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026

He claims the data actually documented a 82% rate, which is false.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

A good number of them, he says, touching the printouts, are not documented.

From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee

The collection spans more than two decades, documenting key moments in India's independence struggle as well as Gandhi's friendship with Hingorani.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

Essentials for a successful claim include geostamped, time-stamped and annotated “before, during and after” repair photos documenting damage, work performed, and completion, it adds.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026

To break out of their rut, they began working their way through the cuisines of every country in the world at local restaurants and documenting their experience on social media.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

"They have endured targeting, imprisonment, exile, and surveillance for simply reporting the news. It is an honor to recognize their commitment to documenting the truth."

From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026

Their role as records of artistic thought also makes drawings uniquely valuable to the art historian, for they help in documenting the evolution of a work from its inception to the finished piece.

From "History of Art, Volume 1" by H.W. Janson

Related Words

• archive
• certificate
• diary
• evidence
• form
• paper
• record
• report
• script
• testimony