document

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

… offer coverage for recently documented but not undocumented immigrants …

—New York University

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 of document

• prove
• establish
• demonstrate

Examples of document in a Sentence

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

Brown and her crew spent an additional six months documenting the aftermath of this revelation, including new interviews with the families of the victims as well as a sit-down with Brashers’ daughter and one of the men who had, for years, been wrongfully accused of the crime. —Katie Campione, Deadline, 6 June 2026

Keep Welfare Economics Distinct From GDP Brynjolfsson and coauthors have done useful work documenting the consumer surplus generated by free digital goods. —James Broughel, Forbes.com, 6 June 2026

Daniel Ionnisyan, head of the Union of Informed Citizens, an independent election watchdog, told the AP that his organization has documented instances of Russian interference through social media campaigns, cyberattacks, vote buying and bribery of journalists. —ABC News, 6 June 2026

Since 2023, Akash Pamarthy has been documenting the lives of members of the Sikh religion around Ohio. —Akash Pamarthy, NPR, 6 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

First Known Use

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)