dossier

[ dos-ee-ey, -ee-er, daw-see-ey, -see-er; French daw-syey ]

noun

, plural dos·si·ers [dos, -ee-eyz, -ee-erz, daw, -see-eyz, -see-ers, daw-, syey].

1. a collection or file of documents on the same subject, especially a complete file containing detailed information about a person or topic.

   Synonyms: folder, report, record

dossier

/ ˈdɒsɪˌeɪ; dosje; -sɪə /

noun

1. a collection of papers containing information on a particular subject or person

Word History and Origins

Origin of dossier¹

1875–80; < French: bundle of documents with a label attached to the back or spine, equivalent to dos (< Latin dorsum ) back + -ier -ier ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of dossier¹

C19: from French: a file with a label on the back, from dos back, from Latin dorsum

Example Sentences

Doing so has often come at a high cost with regards to career prospects or getting blacklisted on websites like Canary Mission that keep detailed and misleading dossiers of supporters of the Palestinian cause.

From Time

She addresses many issues in “Know Before You Go,” a dossier shared on the members-only site.

From Washington Post

The head of Voice of America’s parent agency hired a law firm at a rate of about $500 an hour and spent $2 million in taxpayer funds to compile personnel dossiers on managers he had targeted for removal, according to a complaint filed Tuesday.

From Washington Post

The Jets delivered the dossier to the paper over the summer.

From Washington Post

The Clinton campaign’s funding of Steele’s research only emerged months later, long after the dossier was published.

From Washington Post

And yet, a dossier of allegations involving human rights could not help any cardinal at a moment like that.

From The Daily Beast

Last year, the Home Office said the dossier had mysteriously disappeared from the archives.

From The Daily Beast

Recently, when whistleblowers finally surfaced, the Home Office officials could find no trace of the dossier.

From The Daily Beast

He copies and pastes the listing into an ever-expanding dossier of suspected loot.

From The Daily Beast

He was released from the case in 2007 for “showing bias against the McCanns” according to the court dossier.

From The Daily Beast

"You have had access to my dossier—I feel sure you have, monsieur," Paul said, addressing Pierrepont.

From Project Gutenberg

The dossier is not complete, but, such as it is, it furnishes a riddle in which the supernatural appears to play a part.

From Project Gutenberg

The former opinion was, no doubt, justified by the evidence which the lost dossier contained.

From Project Gutenberg

Meanwhile, my secretary will give you a complete dossier on my planned Official Bulletin.

From Project Gutenberg

He placed the dossier back in a drawer and, lighting a cigar, paced up and down the room puffing furiously.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• summary

More About Dossier

What does dossier mean?

A dossier is a collection of detailed information about a person or other subject.

The word dossier is popularly associated with espionage, law enforcement, and politics. When used in these contexts, it often refers to a file that includes all the “dirt” on someone (such as secret negative information that could be used to blackmail them).

Example: We’ve been tracking this guy for years—we have a 2,000-page dossier on him.

Where does dossier come from?

Dossier comes directly from French, in which it specifically means a “a bundle of papers with a label on the back.” (In French, dos means “back.”) Dossier has been used in English since at least the late 1800s.

Dossier just means “a collection of documents about the same topic.” Dossiers are typically meant to provide comprehensive, detailed information about a subject. In crime TV shows, when a detective hands another detective a thick folder that’s filled with documents about a suspect’s criminal record (usually with their photo paper-clipped to the front), that’s a dossier (though on TV they often just call it a file). But movies and real-life intrigue have made dossier become closely associated with the kind of secret files compiled by spy agencies and political operatives. In this sense, dossiers often contain things like intercepted emails, hidden bank records, and secretly taken photos of the target in compromising positions.

Still, in general, a dossier can be a file on any single subject. It can contain information on a particular organization, business, or any topic—not just an individual person.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to dossier?

• dossiers (plural)

What are some synonyms for dossier?

• file
• report
• record

What are some words that share a root or word element with dossier? 

 

• dorsal

 

What are some words that often get used in discussing dossier?

 

• document
• folder
• binder
• packet
• compile
• portfolio
• secret
• information
• espionage
• politics

How is dossier used in real life?

Dossier can be used in a neutral way that simply refers to a packet of information on a subject. But it is often used to refer to a file filled with secret or scandalous details about a person’s life.

Coming up soon: USADA's 1,000-page dossier of evidence of systematic doping by Lance Armstrong. Tygart statement here: http://t.co/uIiZVsC4

— Matt Seaton (@mattseaton) October 10, 2012

The story of FIFA, the international soccer governing body, is also a story of bribery, international intrigue, a former spy who compiled a dossier on President Donald Trump and a guy who walked around with a parrot on his shoulder. https://t.co/kmmrS58fjw

— Marketplace (@Marketplace) June 18, 2018

Y’all thought Batman and Superman and them were pals. But little did you know Batman only formed the justice league to build a dossier about how to manage/defeat/kill any and all of the heroes on the team in case they ever became a threat.

Trust no one.

— 沈黙 (@cqrainh2o) December 4, 2019

 

 

Try using dossier!

True or False? 

Dossiers always contain secret information that can be used to blackmail someone.