What does "record" mean?
An item of information put into a temporary or permanent physical medium.
Record
/ˈɹɛk.ɔːd/ adj, name, noun, verb
adj, name, noun, verb ·Top 500 ·Elementary level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An item of information put into a temporary or permanent physical medium.
- Grammar: record is listed as adj, name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: disc, a single, acc, accession.
- Useful contrasts: fictional rome account, living things, uncounted.
- Usage evidence: The chairman would only make her comments off the record.
How to use "record"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "record" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "record" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "record" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "record" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "record" is acting as adj, name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "disc" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "record", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An item of information put into a temporary or permanent physical medium.
"The person had a record of the interview so she could review her notes."
- 2 the sum of recognized accomplishments wordnet
- 3 Any instance of a physical medium on which information was put for the purpose of preserving it and making it available for future reference.
"We have no record of you making this payment to us."
- 4 an extreme attainment; the best (or worst) performance ever attested (as in a sport) wordnet
- 5 Ellipsis of phonograph record (“a disc, usually made from vinyl, on which sound is recorded and may be replayed on a phonograph”). abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis
"I still like records better than CDs."
Show 9 more definitions
- 6 sound recording consisting of a disk with a continuous groove; used to reproduce music by rotating while a phonograph needle tracks in the groove wordnet
- 7 A set of data relating to a single individual or item.
"Pull up the record on John Smith. What's his medical history?"
- 8 a list of crimes for which an accused person has been previously convicted wordnet
- 9 A data structure similar to a struct, in some programming languages such as C and Java based on classes and designed for storing immutable data.
"This chapter examines another data structure, the record (available in Pascal but not in all other high-level languages). Records make it easier to organize and represent information in Pascal, a major reason for the popularity of the Pascal[…]"
- 10 a compilation of the known facts regarding something or someone wordnet
- 11 The most extreme known value of some variable, particularly that of an achievement in competitive events.
"The heat and humidity were both new records."
- 12 anything (such as a document or a phonograph record or a photograph) providing permanent evidence of or information about past events wordnet
- 13 a document that can serve as legal evidence of a transaction wordnet
- 14 the number of wins versus losses and ties a team has had wordnet
Verb
- 1 To make a record of information. transitive
"I wanted to record every detail of what happened, for the benefit of future generations."
- 2 indicate a certain reading; of gauges and instruments wordnet
- 3 To make an audio or video recording of. transitive
"Within a week they had recorded both the song and the video for it."
- 4 register electronically wordnet
- 5 To give legal status to by making an official public record. transitive
"When the deed was recorded, we officially owned the house."
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 make a record of; set down in permanent form wordnet
- 7 To fix in a medium, usually in a tangible medium. intransitive
- 8 be aware of wordnet
- 9 To make an audio, video, or multimedia recording. intransitive
- 10 To repeat; to practice. intransitive, obsolete, transitive
- 11 To sing or repeat a tune. ambitransitive, obsolete
"1595, George Peele, The Old Wives’ Tale, The Malone Society Reprints, 1908, lines 741-742, Come Berecynthia, let vs in likewise, And heare the Nightingale record hir notes."
- 12 To reflect; to ponder. obsolete
"[…] he was […] carried to the Scaffold on the Tower-hill […], himself praying all the way, and recording upon the words which he before had read."
Adjective
- 1 Enough to break previous records and set a new one; world-class; historic. attributive, not-comparable
""But it's far worse for me," said Edmund, "because you'll at least have a room of your own and I shall have to share a bedroom with that record stinker, Eustace.""
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"The chairman would only make her comments off the record."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "record"?
Common synonyms include: disc, a single, acc, accession, accomplishment, accomplishments.
How do you use "record" in a sentence?
The chairman would only make her comments off the record.
How do you pronounce "record"?
Pronounced /ˈɹɛk.ɔːd/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English recorde, borrowed from Old French record, from recorder. See record (verb).
Etymology 2
From Middle English recorden (“to repeat, to report”), borrowed from Old French recorder (“to get by heart”), from Latin recordārī (“remember, call to mind”), from re- (“back, again”) + cor (“heart; mind”).