certificate
Americannoun
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certificates
plural
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a document serving as evidence or as written testimony, as of status, qualifications, privileges, or the truth of something.
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a document attesting to the fact that a person has completed an educational course, issued either by an institution not authorized to grant diplomas, or to a student not qualifying for a diploma.
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Law. a statement, written and signed, which is by law made evidence of the truth of the facts stated, for all or for certain purposes.
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Finance.
verb (used with object)
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certificates,
present (3rd person singular)
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certificated,
past participle, past
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certificating
present participle
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to furnish with or authorize by a certificate.
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to issue an official certificate attesting to the training, aptitude, and qualification of.
to certificate a teacher.
noun
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an official document attesting the truth of the facts stated, as of birth, marital status, death, health, completion of an academic course, ability to practise a profession, etc
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short for share certificate
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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certificatesimple
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certificatessimple
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have certificatedperfect
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has certificatedperfect
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am certificatingprogressive
-
are certificatingprogressive
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is certificatingprogressive
-
have been certificatingperfect progressive
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has been certificatingperfect progressive
Past
-
certificatedsimple
-
had certificatedperfect
-
was certificatingprogressive
-
were certificatingprogressive
-
had been certificatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of certificate
1375–1425; late Middle English certificat < Medieval Latin certificātum, noun use of neuter of certificātus certified (past participle of certificāre ), equivalent to certific- ( see certify) + -ātus -ate 1
Explanation
A certificate is a paper or document that proves some fact. Your most prized possession might be the certificate you got when you became a black belt in karate. Your fastidious friend might need to check the health inspection certificate before she'll agree to eat in a restaurant, and you'll need a copy of your birth certificate before you can apply for a passport. A certificate certifies or documents the fact that you are who you say you are, that you're licensed to drive, or authorized to practice dentistry, for example. You can trace the word certificate back to the Latin certus, "sure, fixed, settled."
Vocabulary lists containing certificate
The Judicial Branch
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Week 3 Spelling
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"CLEP Financial Accounting," Vocabulary from Chapter 4
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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:
The council asked him to apply for a lawful development certificate, external for the property.
From BBC ● Nov. 9, 2026
Pilots must be 18 and have 250 hours of flight time to earn a commercial certificate, though that doesn’t mean they can fly for a major airline.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 7, 2026
His immediate cause of death was cardiopulmonary arrest, according to the death certificate obtained by TMZ and People.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026
No DNA match or death certificate has been issued confirming her death, but Barrio is resigned to the worst, faced with the "extremely remote" chance of finding her alive.
From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026
It took five weeks, but when the birth certificate arrived in the Richardson mailbox, it was a bit of a disappointment.
From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng
By linking these scans to death certificates, they could examine the electrical patterns of patients who later experienced sudden cardiac death and compare them with those of other patients.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 15, 2026
Chenxi told AFP it had valid environmental impact assessment certificates and underwent regular government inspections.
From Barron's ● Nov. 12, 2026
The firm said it has deactivated the certificates of the stolen items and notified marketplace partners so they can be on the lookout for rare and serialized items.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026
“We have deactivated the certificates for the stolen items and notified marketplace partners so they can be on the lookout for rare and serialized items,” PSA said in a statement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026
And there is a whole subgenre of ancestor research—sons and daughters flying to New York clutching scrapbooks, tracking down letters of indenture, photographs, birth certificates.
From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline
A projected labor shortage of nearly 7,000 certificated mechanics in North America next year is 12% fewer than needed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 26, 2026
The certificated staff reductions are expected to yield savings of about $13 million, the district’s statement said.
From Seattle Times ● May 15, 2024
“With the number of requirements and expectations already placed on certificated staff, this is an unreasonable and highly concerning expectation.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2023
Electric aircraft maker Eve Holding Inc is "on track" to meet its goal of starting commercial operations in 2026, an executive said on Friday, and getting its aircraft certificated is the most immediate target.
From Reuters ● Feb. 17, 2023
In 1905 there were 1407 certificated hotels in Manhattan and the Bronx, and of these about 1150 were probably liquor law hotels.
From Commercialized Prostitution in New York City by George Jackson Kneeland
It would seem that full local control was given except in the matter of certificating teachers and regulating the government grant.
From Egerton Ryerson and Education in Upper Canada by J. Harold Putnam
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
