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

Given these pressures, many families increasingly wonder whether a bachelor’s degree — which historically enabled graduates to earn $2 million more over their lifetimes than workers with only high school diplomas — is still a good investment. —Jerry Balentine, Fortune, 26 Mar. 2026

After asking him to model courage, and to be the container of everyone’s hope—and after so many of Rozos’s peers loudly cheered him on—NYU denied Rozos their diploma. —Literary Hub, 25 Mar. 2026

Undocumented students who have attended at least three years of high school in Kansas and earned a diploma here have been eligible to receive in-state tuition at Kansas public colleges and universities since 2004. —Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 25 Mar. 2026

Results were scored for each event on a 100-point scale, and at least as of 2019, those who can’t average at least 60 points can’t get diplomas. —Richard A. Lovett, Outside, 19 Mar. 2026

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