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:
SpaceX, the company owned by Elon Musk, achieved a record 165 orbital launches in 2025 and also conducted several test flights of its Starship megarocket.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
The South Korean company said Wednesday that net profit soared to a record 93.923 trillion won, equivalent to $64.64 billion, for the three months ended June, up more than 1,200% from a year earlier.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
According to the Met Office, rainfall in England this month is at 4.4mm, one of the lowest levels on record - tied with June 1925 and behind only February 1891 when 3.3mm were recorded.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
The company also saw a record $3.1 billion in free cash flow in the fiscal year, it said.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
Leah’s Ohio friends supposedly “arrested him,” but there is no record of Burr being jailed.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
“What we’ve seen is only a fragment of what information there might be, because not all of the government records from phones have been turned over,” Joachín said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Public Health Scotland data, external records that just over 2,000 patients were seen across six centres last month.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
Hyperspectral imaging records subtle differences in color and reflected light at each point in an image.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 28, 2026
Still: Rigorous testing feels like a necessary inconvenience at a time when records set in doping eras continue to be shattered—not just by Pogacar and Vingegaard, but by other riders in the field.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
Warily watching the British in Boston, “Washington frequently had Billy Lee remove his mahogany and brass spyglass from its handsome leather case so he could engage in surveillance of his adversary,” biographer Ron Chernow records.
From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis
Maritime-data company Windward said Tuesday that it recorded no oil tankers crossing Hormuz on Monday in either direction, with some ships crossing undetected carrying Iranian crude for China.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026
“Everything points to the summer of 2026 being the warmest in recorded meteorological history in Spain and France,” said Javier Martin-Vide, a climate specialist and professor at the University of Barcelona.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
Azarcon said the suspect was caught on video by the surveillance cameras and the cameras on the Teslas, which appear to have recorded part of the vandalism.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
There are more than 2,500 sites across Northern Ireland, external where giant hogweed has been recorded and confirmed.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
We the scholars of the Temple of Lkossa’s Great Library thusly deem that no literature about it shall be recorded or preserved, except for a simple record of those whose lives it takes.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
Watch the recording to catch their lively discussion about how influencers have transformed media, storytelling, and entertainment.
From Slate ● Jul. 28, 2026
The burgeoning young composer organized Bernstein’s music archives, sat in on recording sessions and audited his senior-level classes for three years while studying at the Thornton School of Music at USC.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Participants are asked to spend 15 minutes recording butterflies and day-flying moths they spot in gardens, parks and other green spaces.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
In his partial recording of the argument, Sandy can be heard wondering why Levon Helm Studios is losing money.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026
Check your local library's recording section for music from Africa or Asia, or for the music of native Americans or Australians.
From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones
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.
