record
Americanverb (used with object)
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to set down in writing or the like, as for the purpose of preserving evidence.
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to cause to be set down or registered.
to record one's vote.
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to state or indicate.
He recorded his protest, but it was disregarded.
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to serve to relate or to tell of.
The document records that the battle took place six years earlier.
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to set down or register in some permanent form, as on a seismograph.
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to set down, register, or fix by characteristic marks, incisions, magnetism, etc., for the purpose of reproduction by a phonograph or magnetic reproducer.
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to make a recording of.
The orchestra recorded the 6th Symphony.
verb (used without object)
noun
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an act of recording.
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the state of being recorded, as in writing.
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an account in writing or the like preserving the memory or knowledge of facts or events.
- Synonyms:
- memorandum, note, journal, history, chronicle
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information or knowledge preserved in writing or the like.
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a report, list, or aggregate of actions or achievements.
He made a good record in college. The ship has a fine sailing record.
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a legally documented history of criminal activity.
They discovered that the suspect had a record.
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something or someone serving as a remembrance; memorial.
Keep this souvenir as a record of your visit.
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the tracing, marking, or the like, made by a recording instrument.
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something on which sound or images have been recorded for subsequent reproduction, as a grooved disk that is played on a phonograph or an optical disk for recording sound audio disc or images videodisc.
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the highest or best rate, amount, etc., ever attained, especially in sports.
to hold the record for home runs; to break the record in the high jump.
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Sports. the standing of a team or individual with respect to contests won, lost, and tied.
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an official writing intended to be preserved.
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Computers. a group of related fields, or a single field, treated as a unit and comprising part of a file or data set, for purposes of input, processing, output, or storage by a computer.
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Law.
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the commitment to writing, as authentic evidence, of something having legal importance, especially as evidence of the proceedings or verdict of a court.
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evidence preserved in this manner.
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an authentic or official written report of proceedings of a court of justice.
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adjective
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making or affording a record.
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surpassing or superior to all others.
a record year for automobile sales.
idioms
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off the record,
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not intended for publication; unofficial; confidential.
The president's comment was strictly off the record.
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not registered or reported as a business transaction; off the books.
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go on record, to issue a public statement of one's opinion or stand.
He went on record as advocating immediate integration.
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on record,
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existing as a matter of public knowledge; known.
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existing in a publication, document, file, etc..
There was no birth certificate on record.
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noun
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an account in permanent form, esp in writing, preserving knowledge or information about facts or events
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a written account of some transaction that serves as legal evidence of the transaction
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a written official report of the proceedings of a court of justice or legislative body, including the judgments given or enactments made
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anything serving as evidence or as a memorial
the First World War is a record of human folly
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(often plural) information or data on a specific subject collected methodically over a long period
weather records
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the best or most outstanding amount, rate, height, etc, ever attained, as in some field of sport
an Olympic record
a world record
to break the record for the long jump
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( as modifier )
a record time
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the sum of one's recognized achievements, career, or performance
the officer has an excellent record
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a list of crimes of which an accused person has previously been convicted, which are known to the police but may only be disclosed to a court in certain circumstances
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to be a known criminal; have a previous conviction or convictions
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Also called: gramophone record. disc. a thin disc of a plastic material upon which sound has been recorded. Each side has a spiral groove, which undulates in accordance with the frequency and amplitude of the sound. Records were formerly made from a shellac-based compound but were later made from vinyl plastics
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the markings made by a recording instrument such as a seismograph
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computing a group of data or piece of information preserved as a unit in machine-readable form
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(in some computer languages) a data structure designed to allow the handling of groups of related pieces of information as though the group were a single entity
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for the sake of a strict factual account
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to state one's views publicly
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See off the record
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stated in a public document
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publicly known
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to correct an error or misunderstanding
verb
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to set down in some permanent form so as to preserve the true facts of
to record the minutes of a meeting
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to contain or serve to relate (facts, information, etc)
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to indicate, show, or register
his face recorded his disappointment
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to remain as or afford evidence of
these ruins record the life of the Romans in Britain
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(also intr) to make a recording of (music, speech, etc) for reproduction, or for later broadcasting
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(also intr) (of an instrument) to register or indicate (information) on a scale
the barometer recorded a low pressure
Usage
What is a basic definition of record! Record means to set something down or preserve it in a way that keeps permanent evidence of it. Record is also used to refer to the writing or document that is the preserved account of something. Record is also an achievement that is the best or highest amount. Record has several other senses as a verb and a noun. Record means to somehow preserve a note or evidence of something so that it can be consulted later or prove that something actually existed. When you write down the time that you did something, you are recording it. When you film a birthday party, you are also recording it. Music producers record a singer’s or band’s studio performance of a song using audio equipment. When used as a verb, record is pronounced [ ri-kawrd ], with emphasis on the second syllable.
- Real-life examples: Police detectives record details about crimes and crime scenes. Cameras record news events, sports, and television programs to be viewed later.
- Used in a sentence: The journalist recorded the mayor’s statements in her notepad.
- Real-life examples: Schools have records of students’ grades on a computer or as documents in a filing cabinet. Police keep records of all of the crimes they have worked on, people they have arrested, and many other events. The government has detailed records of what it spends tax money on.
- Used in a sentence: I keep a record of all of the toys I have bought so that I know which ones are missing from my collection.
- Real-life examples: Robert Wadlow holds the record for the tallest man who ever lived (8 feet 11. 1 inches). Blackie the cat set the record for world’s wealthiest cat when it inherited $12. 5 million from its owner in 1988. Guinness World Records is a company that publishes information considered to be the official documentation of impressive (or weird) records that people have set.
- Used in a sentence: My boss is trying to set the record for worst manager ever.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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recordsimple
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recordssimple
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have recordedperfect
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has recordedperfect
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am recordingprogressive
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are recordingprogressive
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is recordingprogressive
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have been recordingperfect progressive
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has been recordingperfect progressive
Past
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recordedsimple
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had recordedperfect
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was recordingprogressive
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were recordingprogressive
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had been recordingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of record
First recorded in 1175–1225; 1875–80 record for def. 17; 1855–60 record for def. 18; (for the verb) Middle English recorden, from Old French recorder, from Latin recordārī “to remember, recollect,” from re- re- + cord- (stem of cors ) “heart” + -ārī, infinitive verb ending; (for the noun) Middle English record(e), from Old French, derivative of recorder; cf. cordial
Explanation
Record started off meaning "to register," with a record being something written down. With the invention of the phonograph, record came to mean to capture sound––and a record was something that stored that sound. Bands record songs. If you record (re-CORD) your thoughts in a diary, you are making a record (REC-urd) of your life. If you get caught stealing, you'll find yourself with a criminal record, but if you're under eighteen, the theft will not appear on your permanent record. We look to the historical record to learn what happened in the past.
Vocabulary lists containing record
TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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"Hitching a Ride"
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The Articles of Confederation (1777)
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
England's recent record in major tournaments is good - but not good enough.
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026
That came on the back of a 10 percent rally in chip giant SK hynix, which has collapsed around 30 percent since hitting a record high last month.
From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026
“Copper fundamentals remain strong, with record prices during the period reflecting robust demand and an increasingly constrained supply outlook,” Chief Executive Ivan Arriagada said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
She added, “It’s really fun to go shopping for a human skull and a Ronettes record in the same day, and we get to do that with our band.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
As part of homeroom, we have to record the day’s bulletin, so I like to make it fun by adding sketches.
From "Clairboyance" by Kristiana Kahakauwila
This dome of hot and humid air has already led to all-time temperature records being broken in parts of Montana and Utah, and now the heat is shifting eastwards.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
Before “Happy Birthday” and “Fire From the Hip,” Wolfhard released a total of two records and an EP, plus a whole bunch of singles, with his previous bands, Calpurnia and the Aubreys.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
US cities from Richmond, Virginia, to Boston, Massachusetts, are set to see temperatures soar from the upper 90s to near 100 degrees, with daily high records under threat.
From Barron's ● Jul. 14, 2026
Five people tested positive for the parasite, and another 42 were identified as sick once they were tracked down using the restaurant’s food-delivery records.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026
If the Hall of Elders held records of everything, even impossible tasks, maybe they would find new information about the Cursed Toads too.
From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega
China remains locked in a simmering trade feud with the EU, with which it recorded a trade surplus of $32.9 billion in June.
From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026
The core jewelry business, home to brands like Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels, recorded a 24% jump in sales to 4.73 billion euros, ahead of consensus expectations of 4.35 billion euros.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
Temperatures have bee recorded climbing close to 30C in several locations during the past week.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
“Our current outbreak is one of the largest recorded ones of cyclosporiasis in history,” Wu said.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026
Two large earthquakes were recorded on May 8 and 12.
From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone
Paddick took out her phone to begin recording.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
They used advanced imaging to monitor how bipolar cells released and responded to neurotransmitters, while also stimulating individual cells and recording the responses of neighboring cells.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 14, 2026
The most glaring example came against the Cardinals in early May, when he threw six shutout innings without recording a punch out.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
The couple own Sound Stage Studios, one of Music City’s “most prestigious and historic recording facilities” on Music Row.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026
They also added a recording of a woman reading a recipe for borscht.
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
