report

A piece of information describing, or an account of certain events given or presented to someone, with the most common adpositions being by (referring to creator of the report) and on (referring to the subject).

Noun

  1. A piece of information describing, or an account of certain events given or presented to someone, with the most common adpositions being by (referring to creator of the report) and on (referring to the subject).
    • A report by the telecommunications ministry on the phone network revealed a severe capacity problem.
    • Hospitals are failing to care properly for the growing number of people with dementia, according to an NHS-funded report, which has prompted demands for big improvements to help patients. - 2011 December 16, Denis...
  2. Reputation.
    • I love thee in such sort / As, thou being mine, mine is thy good report. - 1609, William Shakespeare, “Sonnet 36”, in Shake-speares Sonnets. […], London: By G[eorge] Eld for T[homas] T[horpe] and are to be sold by...
    • Certain it is that if he had been daft before, he now ran wild in his pranks, and an evil report of him was in every mouth. - 1902, John Buchan, The Outgoing of the Tide:
  3. The sharp, loud sound from a gun or explosion.
    • While their masters, the mates, seemed afraid of the sound of the hinges of their own jaws, the harpooneers chewed their food with such a relish that there was a report to it. - 1851 November 14, Herman Melville, “The...
    • […] a pistol-shot, flash and report, came from the hedge-side. - 1881–1882, Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island, London; Paris: Cassell & Company, published 14 November 1883, →OCLC:
    • He knelt upon one knee, cocked the weapon, placed the muzzle against the man's forehead, and turning away his eyes pulled the trigger. There was no report. He had used his last cartridge for the horse. - 1889, Ambrose...
  4. An employee whose position in a corporate hierarchy is below that of a particular manager.
    • The revelation that boss of one year Laurent Freixe was conducting an undisclosed affair with a direct report has rocked a 159-year-old conglomerate that pioneered infant formula and milk chocolate before growing to...

    Synonyms: subordinate

Origin

From Middle English reporten, from Anglo-Norman reporter, from Latin reportāre (“to carry back, return, remit, refer”), from re- + portāre.

Forms

reports

Derived

on report report card Gladue report direct report indirect report annual report book report by-report case report conreport co-report credit report incident report internship report law report medical report minority report misreport morning report news report photoreport police report progress report property irregularity report

Verb

  1. To relate details of (an event or incident); to recount, describe (something).
    • Many of these classic methods are still used, with some modern improvements. For example, with the aid of special microphones and automated sound detection software, ornithologists recently reported[…]that pine siskins...
  2. To repeat (something one has heard), to retell; to pass on, convey (a message, information etc.).
  3. To take oneself (to someone or something) for guidance or support; to appeal.
    • thenne they ansuerd by and by that they coude not excuse the quene /[…]/ Allas sayd the quene I made this dyner for a good entente / and neuer for none euyl soo almyghty god me help in my ryght as I was neuer purposed...
  4. To notify someone of (particular intelligence, suspicions, illegality, misconduct etc.); to make notification to relevant authorities; to submit a formal report of.
    • For insurance reasons, I had to report the theft to the local police station.
  5. To make a formal statement, especially of complaint, about (someone).
    • If you do that again I'll report you to the boss.
  6. To show up or appear at an appointed time; to present oneself.
  7. To write news reports (for); to cover as a journalist or reporter.
    • Andrew Marr reports now on more in-fighting at Westminster.
    • Every newspaper reported the war.
    • In January, the country’s weather agency sent aircraft to release chemicals into clouds over the Yellow Sea, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported. - 2019, VOA Learning English (public domain)
  8. To be accountable to or subordinate to (someone) in a hierarchy; to receive orders from (someone); to give official updates to (someone who is above oneself in a hierarchy).
    • The financial director reports to the CEO.
    • Now that I've been promoted, I report to Benjamin, whom I loathe.
    • Although she was junior to [Barret] Zoph, the report said that she did not report directly to him. - 2026 January 22, R. Ghosh, “Who Is Barret Zoph? Co-Founder of $12B AI Startup Fired after CEO Mira Murati Learns of...
  9. To return or present as the result of an examination or consideration of any matter officially referred.
    • The committee reported the bill with amendments, or reported a new bill, or reported the results of an inquiry.
  10. To take minutes of (a speech, the doings of a public body, etc.); to write down from the lips of a speaker.
  11. To refer.
    • Baldwine his ſonne, the fourth of that name [Baldwin IV of Jerusalem], ſucceeded his father [Amalric of Jerusalem]: ſo like unto him, that we report the reader to the character of King Almerick, and will ſpare the...
  12. To return or repeat, as sound; to echo.
    • a church with windows only from above[…] that reporteth the voice twelve or thirteen times - 1627 (indicated as 1626), Francis [Bacon], “(please specify the page, or |century=I to X)”, in Sylua Syluarum: Or A Naturall...

Forms

reports reporting reported no-table-tags glossary report reportest reportedst reporteth -

Derived

aforereported coreport mass report misreport outreport overreport reportability reportable reportative report back reportee reporter report for duty reportorial report out rereport underreport unreported