document
Americannoun
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documents
plural
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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.
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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.
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Digital Technology. a computer data file, especially one with formatted text.
Luckily, I saved my document right before the power went out.
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Archaic. evidence; proof.
verb (used with object)
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documents,
present (3rd person singular)
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documented,
past participle, past
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documenting
present participle
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to furnish with documents.
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to furnish with references, citations, etc., in support of statements made.
a carefully documented biography.
- Synonyms:
- validate, substantiate, verify, corroborate
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to support by documentary evidence.
to document a case.
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Nautical. to provide (a vessel) with a certificate giving particulars concerning nationality, ownership, tonnage, dimensions, etc.
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Obsolete. to instruct.
noun
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a piece of paper, booklet, etc, providing information, esp of an official or legal nature
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a piece of text or text and graphics stored in a computer as a file for manipulation by document processing software
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archaic evidence; proof
verb
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to record or report in detail, as in the press, on television, etc
the trial was well documented by the media
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to support (statements in a book) with citations, references, etc
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to support (a claim, etc) with evidence or proof
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to furnish (a vessel) with official documents specifying its ownership, registration, weight, dimensions, and function
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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documenternoun
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redocumentverb (used with object)
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documentableadjective
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nondocumentedadjective
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well-documentedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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documentsimple
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documentssimple
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have documentedperfect
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has documentedperfect
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am documentingprogressive
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are documentingprogressive
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is documentingprogressive
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have been documentingperfect progressive
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has been documentingperfect progressive
Past
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documentedsimple
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had documentedperfect
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was documentingprogressive
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were documentingprogressive
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had been documentingperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing document
PARCC: Language of the Test (Grade 11)
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Word Generation Social Studies - Complex Questions Related to American Democracy
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Lesson 1
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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:
They were a dynamic duo, often taking to the skies to document some of the biggest breaking news stories across Southern California.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
Lawyers for Erika Kirk filed the new legal document last week ahead of the first anniversary of the shooting, the first step in preserving her right to sue the officials over the death.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
The EU's approach "needs to limit the access of tech companies to our children, and not the other way around", the document says.
From Barron's ● Sep. 15, 2026
In the 822-page document, Lady Justice Thirlwall described "a complete failure to protect babies on the neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital".
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
Justice Strauss took the document in her hand and read it quickly.
From "The Bad Beginning" by Lemony Snicket
"We haven't got a prayer of reading" such a mountain of documents before the trial starts, said Haynes.
From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026
Hearings can be rescheduled or delayed if documents filed with the court — including materials submitted as supporting evidence — have not been served on the alleged abuser.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
Planning documents released by the Home Office last week said the MoD Bicester development "aims to be as self-contained as possible with Service Users having access to a range of essential facilities on site".
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
Tesla has said that some Cybercabs can be equipped with steering wheels, in documents posted on its website about the vehicle.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
They searched for and confiscated anything and everything connected to John Wilkes Booth, including documents unconnected to the assassination.
From "Chasing Lincoln's Killer" by James L. Swanson
Outside of Latin America, 12% of the murders occurred in Asia, with Philippines top of the list with 12 documented murders.
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026
The discovery raises the possibility that other coral ecosystems along West Africa may have been overlooked, forgotten, or never documented in the first place.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 15, 2026
The golf-mad president -- whose relaxed relationship with the game's rules was documented by sports journalist Rick Reilly in the 2019 book "Commander in Cheat" -- may even award the trophy on Sunday.
From Barron's ● Sep. 12, 2026
As has been well documented by the International Association of Firefighters, on the day of the attack, scores of firefighters died because they did not hear the order to evacuate the towers.
From Salon ● Sep. 11, 2026
Combined with her online profile, it basically documented her entire life.
From "Book Scavenger" by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman
Published by the editors of Life magazine, the volume included stunning photos and heartfelt essays documenting the terrorist attack and its aftermath.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
Carlos Gauna, who has been documenting sharks for roughly a decade, regularly posts such videos to his YouTube channel, TheMalibuArtist.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026
She launched herself into the mainstream in the 1960s with an expose of New York City's Playboy Club, documenting the harsh conditions she faced working undercover as a Playboy Bunny.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
A psychiatrist, psychologist or another qualified mental-health provider can evaluate him and create medical records documenting his diagnosis, history, treatment and limitations.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026
Four large squares of poster board, covered with scores of photos documenting the whole brief span of Chris's life, have occupied the dining-room table for many days now.
From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer
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.
