dossier

[dos-ee-ey, -ee-er, daw-see-ey, -see-er, daw-syey]

noun

plural

dossiers 

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

dossier

/ ˈdɒsɪˌeɪ, dosje, -sɪə /

noun

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of dossier¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of dossier¹

C19: from French: a file with a label on the back, from dos back, from Latin dorsum

Example Sentences

She said the trio's ideology was "laid bare" in a 374-page dossier of internet activity put before the jury.

Read more on BBC

And for those of us who watch compulsively and wouldn’t know a dossier from a dog pound, ignorance is bliss.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Marty Baron, the retired Washington Post editor, details in his memoir his regrets over the Steele dossier.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“All you have to do is take a look at the dossier … everything is fake with that administration,” referencing his accusation that Democrats were behind the so-called “Epstein files.”

Read more on Salon

Here’s a dossier summarizing this season’s notable espionage series and the stars who drive them.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• summary 

When To Use

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.