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

Half of incarcerated people in Mississippi lack a high school diploma or its equivalent, and many only read at a sixth-grade level. —Literary Hub, 14 Jan. 2026

Incentive programs also work, as Tennessee and Chicago each found with plans that offer free community college to students who qualify; high schoolers who graduate with a B average in Chicago and anyone who graduates with a high school diploma in Tennessee. —Mary Ellen Klas, Twin Cities, 11 Jan. 2026

Workers with only a high school diploma have historically had higher rates of unemployment than college graduates. —Max Klaver, Miami Herald, 10 Jan. 2026

Newbury, who handed Dixon his diploma, sized him up the same way. —Kevin Sherrington, Dallas Morning News, 8 Jan. 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