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 document shows that the U.S. will pay nothing upfront but plans to acquire its stake in Betancourt’s company by paying $0.01 per warrant share.

From Salon ● Oct. 23, 2026

However, the document concedes this is likely to require co-ordination with other countries, adding that the government was considering how its proposals compare to equivalent regimes internationally.

From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026

The state initially refused to ratify the 1922 compact at all, provoking the other states to rewrite the document so it would go into effect with the approval of only six states rather than seven.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026

Employees are pushed to voice and document concerns on red cards displayed on the factory floor, putting leaders on notice to take care of problems quickly.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026

Then we are to document which plants and animals live nearby and how they interact with one another and their water source.

From "Clairboyance" by Kristiana Kahakauwila

From that point on, Ms. Carvajal documents in meticulous detail how “La Petite Irène” ended up in German hands.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026

He added: "We will see if there has been fraud or if some documents have been manipulated."

From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026

He had a criminal history, according to court documents, and had been incarcerated.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026

"The results obtained this week revealed traces of AI tags in the metadata of certain documents," Boreal said.

From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2026

But the tale of the letters now involved disappearing ghosts, and Katherine taking cell phone pictures of secret documents with Jonah’s name on them, and witnesses, as if Jonah had been involved in some crime.

From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix

"He is a longtime professional who was on his way to another assignment and courageously documented what he saw in keeping with his professional duties," it said.

From Barron's ● Oct. 23, 2026

Arthur goes on to attack her daughter’s credibility, but without producing any evidence beyond her own testimony, which is severely imperiled by a documented history of her own actions.

From Salon ● Oct. 23, 2026

They added a new draft human remains policy proposed that they were only displayed "where there is documented and informed consent from the deceased individual or, in appropriate circumstances, their descendants".

From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026

Over 93 hours of observation, the scientists documented encounters in which one insect interrupted another's feeding or prevented it from reaching a flower.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 22, 2026

While Reston sat at his desk, puffing on a pipe, Sheehan told the group of the origin of the Pentagon Papers, and of how the study clearly documented government lies about the war.

From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin

In some cases, sign-in sheets at centers documenting a senior’s attendance were filled out in advance.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026

Since the Eaton and Palisades fires, there has been report after report documenting how woefully unprepared city, county and fire officials were.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026

I put it to him that some women were now documenting harassment on social media because they were afraid to report it to police.

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026

He and Oppenheim said it was Holmes who initiated conversations with independent entertainment company A24 about documenting her daily life.

From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026

She was documenting the trip for her Twitter and Instagram followers, so she took a few pictures while she waited.

From "The Serpent King" by Jeff Zentner

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

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

---