dossier

noun

dos·​sier ˈdȯs-ˌyā How to pronounce dossier (audio)
ˈdäs-;
ˈdȯ-sē-ˌā,
ˈdä-
: a file containing detailed records on a particular person or subject
the patient's medical dossier
Police began compiling a dossier on him.

Did you know?

Gather together various documents relating to the affairs of a certain individual, sort them into separate folders, label the spine of each folder, and arrange the folders in a box. Dossier, the French word for such a compendium of spine-labeled folders, was picked up by English speakers in the 19th century. It comes from dos, the French word for "back." The verb endorse (which originally meant "to write on the back of") and the rare adjective addorsed ("set or turned back to back," a term primarily used in heraldry) are also derived, via the Anglo-French endosser and French adosser respectively, from dos. The French dos has its origins in the Latin dorsum, a word which also gave English the adjective dorsal ("situated on the back"), as in "the dorsal fin of a whale."

Examples of dossier in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web While the 10-K document is more worth than its weight in gold, any investor hoping to learn more about reading and understanding the various complexities of the dossier should tap into resources made publicly available either by the company or SEC. Jacob Wolinsky, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 The dossier states that 1,200 of UNRWA’s 12,000 staffers in Gaza, the vast majority of whom are local hires, are tied to one of the two groups in some way, according to the Journal. Jimmy Quinn, National Review, 29 Jan. 2024 Ten of the 12 men named in the dossier are said to be members of Hamas. Matt Bradley, NBC News, 29 Jan. 2024 The 40-page dossier documents Farage’s social and political views, referencing several adverse press reports and detailing his stance on immigration and Black Lives Matter, among other subjects. Robert North, CNN, 26 July 2023 Six of the agency’s employees were alleged to have crossed into Israel on Oct. 7 and four were involved in kidnapping Israelis, according to an intelligence dossier compiled by the Israeli government and reviewed by The Washington Post. Miriam Berger, Washington Post, 11 Feb. 2024 Last month, the UNRWA for Palestine Refugees in the Near East confirmed the content of an Israeli dossier that stated 12 of its workers participated in the Hamas terror invasion. Benjamin Weinthal, Fox News, 11 Feb. 2024 New details about the role of U.N. employees in the October 7 terrorist attack have come to light today in reports from media outlets that have gained access to an Israeli intelligence dossier presented to Western officials. Jimmy Quinn, National Review, 29 Jan. 2024 The Israeli military provided the United States with a dossier alleging that roughly 10 percent of the agency’s 13,000 employees in Gaza are Hamas members. Ronen Bergman, New York Times, 29 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dossier.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

French, bundle of documents labeled on the back, dossier, from dos back, from Latin dorsum — see dorsal entry 2

First Known Use

1835, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of dossier was in 1835

Podcast

Dictionary Entries Near dossier

Cite this Entry

“Dossier.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dossier. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

dossier

noun
dos·​sier ˈdȯs-ˌyā How to pronounce dossier (audio)
ˈdȯs-ē-ˌā,
ˈdäs-
: a file of papers containing a detailed report

More from Merriam-Webster on dossier

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!