dossier

American  

[dos-ee-ey, -ee-er, daw-see-ey, -see-er, daw-syey] / ˈdɒs iˌeɪ, -i ər, ˈdɔ siˌeɪ, -si ər, dɔˈsjeɪ /

noun

• dossiers
  plural

1. a collection or file of documents on the same subject, especially a complete file containing detailed information about a person or topic.

   Synonyms:

   folder, report, record

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dossier British  

/ ˈdɒsɪˌeɪ, dosje, -sɪə /

noun

1. a collection of papers containing information on a particular subject or person

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Usage

What does dossier mean? A dossier is a collection of detailed information about a person or other subject. The word dossier is popularly associated with espionage, law enforcement, and politics. When used in these contexts, it often refers to a file that includes all the “dirt” on someone (such as secret negative information that could be used to blackmail them). Example: We’ve been tracking this guy for years—we have a 2,000-page dossier on him.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• dossiers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of dossier

1875–80; < French: bundle of documents with a label attached to the back or spine, equivalent to dos (< Latin dorsum ) back + -ier -ier ²

Explanation

If you’re a fan of spy movies, you’ve probably seen countless scenes in which an intrepid secret agent breaks into a secure government facility in order to steal a dossier, or a collection of files. Dossier, which emerged in French in the 19th century, is derived from the French word dos, meaning “back.” While the connection between “files” and “backs” isn’t certain, it may pertain to the fact that the labels of dossiers were originally affixed to the back, or spine, of each file. If you speak French, you can apply your knowledge to the pronunciation of this word; the final syllable is pronounced with a long a sound, rhyming with “day.”

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

dossier dossiers

One scene simply makes a naval officer recite Cole’s dossier on a different boat.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026

Two years later, a reporter at the Times Higher Education—a respected specialized media that focuses on the university sector—investigated Arday and put together a 97-page dossier of evidence of his plagiarism.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

Details of the theft only came out two years later when the country's former spy chief, Arthur Fraser, highlighted the theft in an explosive dossier that he sent to the police.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

Then, that data slab feeds off other sources to grow into a full-on digital dossier of your consumer attributes, bandied from advertiser to vendor to advertiser.

From Slate ● May 3, 2026

“How does a lowly indent get access to secret Sixer dossier files and company memos?”

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

As has been the case for many years, Pro Ref provides officials with pre-game dossiers about how teams play.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

Contractors prepare daily reports and dossiers on threat actors, identifying the poster’s name, location, date of birth, workplace, Social Security number, vehicle registration and criminal history when possible.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026

According to the court documents, ICE previously relied on the dossiers — known as “target folders” — to carry out targeted arrests.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026

Collina believes it is hugely important to use real scenarios, not just dossiers and diagrams.

From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026

A pair of semi-coded dossiers accompanied the photographs.

From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote

Related Words

• summary