documentation

noun doc·u·men·ta·tion \ -mən-ˈtā-shən , -ˌmen- \

Updated on: 21 Apr 2018

1 : the act or an instance of furnishing or authenticating with documents

2 a : the provision of documents in substantiation; also : documentary evidence

b (1) : the use of historical documents

(2) : conformity to historical or objective facts

(3) : the provision of footnotes, appendices, or addenda referring to or containing documentary evidence

3 : information science

4 : the usually printed instructions, comments, and information for using a particular piece or system of computer software or hardware

—

documentational

play \-shnəl, -shə-nᵊl\ adjective

See documentation defined for English-language learners

See documentation defined for kids

Examples of documentation in a Sentence

You cannot visit the country unless you have the proper documentation.
Keep your receipts as documentation of your purchases.
Can you provide documentation of the claims you're making?
The program's documentation is poorly written.

Recent Examples of documentation from the Web

The Registrar of Societies said the Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia failed to submit adequate documentation for its registration and asked it to do so within a month or be permanently deregistered.

— eileen ng, BostonGlobe.com, "Key Malaysian opposition party suspended ahead of election," 6 Apr. 2018
The documentation for three of those warrants has no redactions, according to Thursday's filing.

— katelyn polantz, CNN, "Mueller using information related to searches of Manafort's belongings for ongoing investigation," 5 Apr. 2018
The Registry of Societies said Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia did not submit adequate documentation for its registration and asked it to do so within a month or be permanently deregistered.

— Washington Post, "World Digest: April 5, 2018," 5 Apr. 2018
The state has not yet provided any documentation for Crochet's billing.

— julia o'donoghue, NOLA.com, "Sexual harassment case against governor's staffer has cost Louisiana $96,000 so far," 2 Apr. 2018
Chicago, for example, requires a Firearm Owners Identification card, a background check, a three-day waiting period, and documentation for all firearm sales.

— german lopez, Vox, "I’ve covered gun violence for years. The solutions aren’t a big mystery.," 24 Mar. 2018
Jessica is also struggling to find documentation about the lost 20 days between the accident that killed her parents and when Trish’s mom adopted her.

— shannon carlin, refinery29.com, "Is There A Shadow Government Experimenting On People, Like In Jessica Jones?," 10 Mar. 2018
Years earlier, as the city and state audited his 1984 tax returns, Trump failed to provide documentation for $600,000 in deductions.

— nina burleigh, Newsweek, "Trump vs. Mueller: Is the American Legal System Any Match for the President?," 8 Mar. 2018
The report also found the city Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program failed to provide documentation for at least 30 homes that were referred for lead testing under state statute.

— mary spicuzza, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Gag order banned Milwaukee Health Department staffers from going to aldermen, mayor about lead concerns," 31 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'documentation.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of documentation

1884

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

documentation Synonyms

DOCUMENTATION Defined for English Language Learners

documentation

noun

: the documents, records, etc., that are used to prove something or make something official
: written instructions for using a computer or computer program