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

Hegseth himself earned a master’s degree from Harvard but symbolically returned his diploma in a 2022 Fox News segment. —Collin Binkley, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2026

The new accountability model is aligned to the state’s new diploma based on a new set of standards that take effect with the Class of 2029. —Carole Carlson, Chicago Tribune, 5 Mar. 2026

Senate Enrolled Act 199 instead targets degrees whose graduates earn less than their peers with only a high school diploma, asking colleges to either request an exception from the Indiana Commission for Higher Education or eliminate the program. —Marissa Meador, IndyStar, 5 Mar. 2026

The 23-year-old lacked a diploma. —Wilborn P. Nobles Iii, Dallas Morning News, 27 Feb. 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