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PDF

American  

abbreviation

Digital Technology.
  1. portable document format:

    1. a file format that makes it possible to display text and graphics in the same fixed layout on any computer screen.

    2. a document or file in this format.


PDF British  

abbreviation

  1. portable document format: a format in which documents may be viewed

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of PDF

First recorded in 1990–95

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

This category represents Adobe’s Document Cloud business, which includes PDF and e-signature tools.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 12, 2026

When the original of one of those records was attached to an email obtained in discovery, Myers found that it had been extensively revised before the PDF conversion.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 12, 2026

Another blow came in 1993, when Adobe co-founder John Warnock led the team that invented the PDF, an all-purpose digital format that could handle almost any document.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 15, 2025

Archer has had a PDF mapping out every match he would play up until his Test return this summer - and an Ashes winter beyond.

From BBC • Jun. 26, 2025

If you need some staff paper for exercises you can print this PDF file2 .

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones