dossier

noun dos·sier \ ˈdȯs-ˌyā , ˈdäs- ; ˈdȯ-sē-ˌā , ˈdä- \

|Updated on: 15 Jun 2018

Editor's Note: Did You Know?

Definition of dossier

: a file containing detailed records on a particular person or subject

the patient's medical dossier

Police began compiling a dossier on him.

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Recent Examples of dossier from the Web

Under a system called fanghuiju, teams of half a dozen—composed of policemen or local officials and always including one Uighur speaker, which almost always means a Uighur—go from house to house compiling dossiers of personal information.

— The Economist, "China has turned Xinjiang into a police state like no other," 31 May 2018
Gowdy said after the memo was released publicly that the dossier was not necessary for the investigation into Trump's team and Russia.

— jeremy herb and manu raju, CNN, "War between Trump and FBI puts Gowdy in delicate spot," 30 May 2018
The report is also expected to turn the subject of collusion toward the Clinton campaign, saying an anti-Trump dossier compiled by a former British spy and paid for by Democrats was one way that Russians tried to influence the election.

— Washington Post, "Trump praises House GOP report of no collusion on Russia," 13 Mar. 2018
The report is also expected to turn the subject of collusion toward the Clinton campaign, saying an anti-Trump dossier compiled by a former British spy and paid for by Democrats was one way that Russians tried to influence the election.

— mary clare jalonick, chicagotribune.com, "Draft GOP report: No coordination between Trump and Russia," 12 Mar. 2018
None of the wild claims in the dossier have been proven, not publicly.

— Fox News, "Burgess Owens on backlash caused by NFL's anthem decision," 25 May 2018
Sportsmail's claims Chelsea are compiling a 'dossier' of transfer targets ready for the new manager to give the final say on - whether that's Maurizio Sarri, Luis Enrique or Mauricio Pochettino.

— SI.com, "Man Utd Star on Chelsea Transfer Wish List as Blues Prepare for Life After Antonio Conte," 18 May 2018
McCain also gives his most complete version of his role in intrigue surrounding a dossier of salacious research and raw intelligence on Trump and his connections with the Russians.

— dan nowicki, azcentral, "5 takeaways from Sen. John McCain's new memoir, 'The Restless Wave'," 16 May 2018
But his racing dossier is thin, so there might be better value elsewhere.

— liam durbin, baltimoresun.com, "How to bet on the Kentucky Derby," 4 May 2018

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

Did You Know?

Gather together various documents relating to the affairs of a certain individual, sort them into separate folders, label the spine of each folder, and arrange the folders in a box. "Dossier," the French word for such a compendium of spine-labeled folders, was picked up by English speakers in the late 19th century. It comes from "dos," the French word for "back," which is in turn derived from "dorsum," Latin for back. Our word dorsal ("situated on the back"), as in the dorsal fin of a whale, comes from the same Latin source.