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See under (def 17).
to set down in writing or the like, as for the purpose of preserving evidence.
to cause to be set down or registered:
to record one’s vote.
to state or indicate:
He recorded his protest, but it was disregarded.
to serve to relate or to tell of:
The document records that the battle took place six years earlier.
to set down or register in some permanent form, as on a seismograph.
to set down, register, or fix by characteristic marks, incisions, magnetism, etc., for the purpose of reproduction by a phonograph or magnetic reproducer.
to make a of:
The orchestra recorded the 6th Symphony.
to record something; make a record.
an act of recording.
the state of being recorded, as in writing.
an account in writing or the like preserving the memory or knowledge of facts or events.
information or knowledge preserved in writing or the like.
a report, list, or aggregate of actions or achievements:
He made a good record in college. The ship has a fine sailing record.
a legally documented history of criminal activity:
They discovered that the suspect had a record.
something or someone serving as a remembrance; memorial:
Keep this souvenir as a record of your visit.
the tracing, marking, or the like, made by a recording instrument.
something on which sound or images have been recorded for subsequent reproduction, as a grooved disk that is played on a phonograph or an optical disk for recording sound (audio disc) or images (videodisc)
Compare .
the highest or best rate, amount, etc., ever attained, especially in sports:
to hold the record for home runs; to break the record in the high jump.
Sports. the standing of a team or individual with respect to contests won, lost, and tied.
an official writing intended to be preserved.
Computers. a group of related fields, or a single field, treated as a unit and comprising part of a file or data set, for purposes of input, processing, output, or storage by a computer.
Law.

the commitment to writing, as authentic evidence, of something having legal importance, especially as evidence of the proceedings or verdict of a court.
evidence preserved in this manner.
an authentic or official written report of proceedings of a court of justice.

making or affording a record.
surpassing or superior to all others:
a record year for automobile sales.
go on record, to issue a public statement of one’s opinion or stand:
He went on record as advocating immediate integration.
off the record,

not intended for publication; unofficial; confidential:
The president’s comment was strictly off the record.
not registered or reported as a business transaction; off the books.

on record,

existing as a matter of public knowledge; known.
existing in a publication, document, file, etc.:
There was no birth certificate on record.

noun (ˈrɛkɔːd)
an account in permanent form, esp in writing, preserving knowledge or information about facts or events
a written account of some transaction that serves as legal evidence of the transaction
a written official report of the proceedings of a court of justice or legislative body, including the judgments given or enactments made
anything serving as evidence or as a memorial: the First World War is a record of human folly
(often pl) information or data on a specific subject collected methodically over a long period: weather records

the best or most outstanding amount, rate, height, etc, ever attained, as in some field of sport: an Olympic record, a world record, to break the record for the long jump
(as modifier): a record time

the sum of one’s recognized achievements, career, or performance: the officer has an excellent record
a list of crimes of which an accused person has previously been convicted, which are known to the police but may only be disclosed to a court in certain circumstances
have a record, to be a known criminal; have a previous conviction or convictions
Also called gramophone record, disc. a thin disc of a plastic material upon which sound has been recorded. Each side has a spiral groove, which undulates in accordance with the frequency and amplitude of the sound. Records were formerly made from a shellac-based compound but were later made from vinyl plastics
the markings made by a recording instrument such as a seismograph
(computing) a group of data or piece of information preserved as a unit in machine-readable form
(in some computer languages) a data structure designed to allow the handling of groups of related pieces of information as though the group were a single entity
for the record, for the sake of a strict factual account
go on record, to state one’s views publicly
See off the record
on record

stated in a public document
publicly known

put the record straight, set the record straight, to correct an error or misunderstanding
verb (mainly transitive) (rɪˈkɔːd)
to set down in some permanent form so as to preserve the true facts of: to record the minutes of a meeting
to contain or serve to relate (facts, information, etc)
to indicate, show, or register: his face recorded his disappointment
to remain as or afford evidence of: these ruins record the life of the Romans in Britain
(also intransitive) to make a recording of (music, speech, etc) for reproduction, or for later broadcasting
(also intransitive) (of an instrument) to register or indicate (information) on a scale: the barometer recorded a low pressure
v.

c.1200, “to repeat, reiterate, recite; rehearse, get by heart,” from Old French recorder “tell, relate, repeat, recite, report, make known” (12c.) and directly from Latin recordari “remember, call to mind, think over, be mindful of,” from re- “restore” (see re-) + cor (genitive cordis) “heart” (as the metaphoric seat of memory, cf. learn by heart); see heart.

Meaning “set down in writing” first attested mid-14c.; that of “put sound or pictures on disks, tape, etc.” is from 1892. Related: Recorded; recording.
n.

c.1300, “testimony committed to writing,” from Old French record “memory, statement, report,” from recorder “to record” (see record (v.)). Meaning “written account of some event” is from late 14c. Meaning “disk on which sounds or images have been recorded” is first attested 1878. That of “best or highest recorded achievement in sports, etc.” is from 1883. Phrase on the record is from 1900; adverbial phrase off the record “confidentially” is attested from 1906. Record-player attested from 1919.

record re·cord (rĭ-kôrd’)
v. re·cord·ed, re·cord·ing, re·cords

To set down for preservation in writing or other permanent form.

To register or indicate.

n. rec·ord (rěk’ərd)

An account, as of information or facts, set down especially in writing as a means of preserving knowledge.

A medical record.

In dentistry, a registration of desired jaw relations in a plastic material or on a device so that such relations may be transferred to an articulator.

The known history of performance, activities, or achievement.

A collection of related, often adjacent items of computer data, treated as a unit.

Related Terms

broken record, off the record, track record
see:

break the record
go on record
just for the record
off the record
set (the record) straight
track record