diploma

noun

di·​plo·​ma də-ˈplō-mə 

plural diplomas

1

plural also diplomata də-ˈplō-mə-tə  : an official or state document : charter

2

: a writing usually under seal conferring some honor or privilege

3

: a document bearing record of graduation from or of a degree conferred by an educational institution

Examples of diploma in a Sentence

He earned his high school diploma by attending classes at night.

Recent Examples on the Web

According to the report, the two unidentified suspects took his book bag containing school supplies, his high school diploma, and his cellphone. —December 5, CBS News, 5 Dec. 2025

The group least likely to have attended college during that same timeframe was students whose parents had a high school diploma or less and who believed their family could not afford it. —Elizabeth Hernandez, Denver Post, 2 Dec. 2025

While approximately 90% of rural high school students graduated in 2020, 82% of urban high school students got their diplomas that year. —Sheneka Williams, The Conversation, 1 Dec. 2025

The Academy is actively seeking applicants for its February cohort of 20 students with a high school diploma or GED. —News Release, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin, passport, diploma, from Greek diplōma folded paper, passport, from diploun to double, from diploos

First Known Use

1622, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing diploma

• diploma mill

Rhymes for diploma

• aroma
• fibroma
• glaucoma
• glioma
• lipoma
• lymphoma
• myoma
• myxoma
• neuroma
• paloma
• schwannoma
• scotoma

Kids Definition

diploma

noun

di·​plo·​ma də-ˈplō-mə 

: a document granting a special right, honor, or power

especially : a document that shows a person has finished a course or graduated from a school