ENGLISH
REFERENCE

PDF

n. countable
A2 Elementary US //ˌpiˌdiˈɛf// pdf Archaic Humorous

n. Stands for Portable Document Format. A type of computer file that looks the same on any screen or printer. People use it to share documents like forms, tickets, or books without the layout changing.

n. Abbreviation for Portable Document Format. A file format designed to present documents consistently across different software, hardware, and operating systems. Originally developed by Adobe and now an open ISO standard.


SIMPLE

Please send the contract as a PDF.

CONTEXTUAL

The airline sent my boarding pass as a PDF so I could print it at home or show it on my phone.

COMPLEX

While editable text files are useful for drafting, the final report should be distributed as a PDF to ensure the complex charts and formatting remain intact for all recipients.

Usage

Often used as a modifier before other nouns, such as 'PDF file' or 'PDF reader'.

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