document

1 of 2

noun

doc·​u·​ment ˈdä-kyə-mənt 

-kyü-

1

law

a

archaic : proof, evidence

b

: an original or official paper relied on as the basis, proof, or support of something

c

: something (such as a photograph or a recording) that serves as evidence or proof

2

a

: a writing conveying information

financial documents

historical documents

a classified document that was leaked to the media

b

: a material substance (such as a coin or stone) having on it a representation of thoughts by means of some conventional mark or symbol

c

: documentary

3

: a computer file containing information input by a computer user and usually created with an application (such as a spreadsheet or word processor)

create a new document

documental

ˌdä-kyə-ˈmen-tᵊl 

-kyü-

adjective

document

2 of 2

verb

doc·​u·​ment ˈdä-kyə-ˌment 

documented; documenting; documents

transitive verb

1

: to furnish documentary evidence of

documenting their claims

documenting gorillas in their natural habitat

2

: to furnish with documents

3

a

: to provide with factual or substantial support for statements made or a hypothesis proposed

charges that were well documented

document your claim

especially : to equip with exact references (see reference entry 1 sense 3b) to authoritative supporting information (as by means of footnotes)

failed to adequately document your sources

b(1)

: to construct or produce (something, such as a movie or novel) with authentic situations or events

(2)

: to portray realistically

documents the challenges of being a single parent

4

nautical : to furnish (a ship) with ship's papers

documentable

ˈdä-kyə-ˌmen-tə-bəl 

ˌdä-kyə-ˈmen-

-kyü-

adjective

documenter

ˈdä-kyə-ˌmen-tər 

noun

Synonyms

Noun

• form
• paper

Verb

• prove
• establish
• demonstrate

Examples of document in a Sentence

Noun

It is important to keep all of your financial documents in a safe place.

An important classified document has been leaked to the media.

creating a new document on your computer

I lost the document when the hard drive crashed.

Verb

Her study was the first to document this type of behavior in gorillas.

He wrote a book documenting their struggle.

Can you document the claims you're making?

The charges are well documented.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Some historical society documents suggest the house was completed in 1916, but some tax records at the township assessor's office date the house to 1918. —Kristen Jordan Shamus, Freep.com, 31 Aug. 2025

After the accusations were levied by the RNC, Google launched a temporary pilot program in August 2022 to exempt qualified political emails from Gmail’s spam filter, which the RNC opted to not participate in, according to court documents. —Angele Latham, The Tennessean, 30 Aug. 2025

Verb

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has maintained a similar tracker of crimes targeting Catholic churches, documenting 22 attacks so far in 2025, compared to 56 in 2024. —Robert Schmad, The Washington Examiner, 30 Aug. 2025

Researchers in Taiwan documented this rare case of a predator exploiting its prey’s mating signal to its own advantage. —Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 29 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English, precept, teaching, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin & Latin; Late Latin documentum official paper, from Latin, lesson, proof, from docēre to teach — more at docile

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1711, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

document

1 of 2 noun

doc·​u·​ment ˈdäk-yə-mənt 

1

: a written or printed paper giving information about or proof of something

2

: a computer file usually created with an application program (as a word processor)

document

2 of 2 verb

doc·​u·​ment ˈdäk-yə-ˌment 

: to give evidence of by a document

documentable

ˈdäk-yə-ˌment-ə-bəl 

ˌdäk-yə-ˈment-

adjective

Legal Definition

document

1 of 2 noun

doc·​u·​ment ˈdä-kyə-mənt 

1

: a writing (as a deed or lease) conveying information see also instrument

2

a

: something (as a writing, photograph, or recording) that may be used as evidence

b

: an official paper (as a license) relied on as the basis, proof, or support of something (as a right or privilege)

document

2 of 2 transitive verb

doc·​u·​ment ˈdä-kyə-ˌment 

1

a

: to furnish documentary evidence of

b

: to provide with exact references to authoritative supporting information

2

: to furnish (as a ship) with documents (as ship's papers)