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Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Registrant Name dei_EntityRegistrantName GMO TRUST
Prospectus Date rr_ProspectusDate Jun. 30, 2012
GMO Trust | GMO Core Plus Bond Fund
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Risk/Return [Heading] rr_RiskReturnHeading GMO CORE PLUS BOND FUND
Objective [Heading] rr_ObjectiveHeading Investment objective
Objective, Primary [Text Block] rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock Total return in excess of that of its benchmark, the Barclays U.S. Aggregate Index.
Expense [Heading] rr_ExpenseHeading Fees and expenses
Expense Narrative [Text Block] rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay for each class of shares if you buy and hold shares of the Fund.
Operating Expenses Caption [Text] rr_OperatingExpensesCaption Annual Fund operating expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement over Assets, Date of Termination rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssetsDateOfTermination June 30, 2013
Portfolio Turnover [Heading] rr_PortfolioTurnoverHeading Portfolio turnover
Portfolio Turnover [Text Block] rr_PortfolioTurnoverTextBlock The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities. A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. During its fiscal year ended February 29, 2012, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate (excluding short-term investments) was 72% of the average value of its portfolio.
Portfolio Turnover, Rate rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate 72.00%
Expense Example [Heading] rr_ExpenseExampleHeading Example
Expense Example Narrative [Text Block] rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated, regardless of whether or not you redeem your shares at the end of such periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same as those shown in the table. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
Strategy [Heading] rr_StrategyHeading Principal investment strategies
Strategy Narrative [Text Block] rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock The Fund’s investment program has two principal components. One component seeks to replicate the Fund’s benchmark. The second component seeks to add value relative to the Fund’s benchmark by taking positions that are generally unrelated to its benchmark. These positions primarily include global interest rate and currency derivatives and indirect (through other GMO Funds) and direct credit investments in asset-backed, government and emerging country debt markets, and can cause the Fund’s performance to differ significantly from that of its benchmark.

In deciding what positions to take in global interest rate and currency markets and the size of those positions, the Manager considers fundamental factors (e.g., inflation and current account positions) as well as price-based factors (e.g., interest and exchange rates). The Manager assesses the relative values across global interest rate and currency markets and the merits of overweighting or underweighting particular positions. The Manager also may consider the relative attractiveness of yield curve and duration positions in these markets.

In making investment decisions regarding credit investments, the Manager uses fundamental investment techniques to assess the expected performance of each investment relative to the Fund’s benchmark.

In pursuing its investment program, the Fund may have positions in:

  • derivatives, including without limitation, futures contracts, currency options, interest rate options, currency forwards, reverse repurchase agreements, credit default swaps and other swap contracts (to generate a return comparable to the Fund’s benchmark and to pursue risk and return in global interest rate, currency, and credit markets);
  • bonds denominated in various currencies, including non-U.S. and U.S. government bonds, asset-backed securities issued by non-U.S. governments and U.S. government agencies (whether or not guaranteed or insured by those governments), corporate bonds, and mortgage-backed and other asset-backed securities issued by private issuers;
  • shares of Short-Duration Collateral Fund (“SDCF”) (to provide exposure to asset-backed securities);
  • shares of World Opportunity Overlay Fund (“Overlay Fund”) (to provide exposure to the global interest rate, currency, and credit (including, asset-backed) markets);
  • shares of Emerging Country Debt Fund (“ECDF”) (to provide exposure to emerging country debt securities);
  • shares of U.S. Treasury Fund and unaffiliated money market funds (for cash management purposes);
  • shares of High Quality Short-Duration Bond Fund (to seek to generate a return in excess of that of the J.P. Morgan U.S. 3 Month Cash Index by investing in a wide variety of high quality U.S. and non-U.S. debt investments); and
  • shares of Debt Opportunities Fund (to provide exposure to global credit (particularly, asset-backed) markets).

As a result primarily of its investment in shares of SDCF, Overlay Fund and ECDF, the Fund has and is expected to continue to have material exposure to U.S. asset-backed and emerging country debt securities that are below investment grade.

The Manager normally seeks to maintain the Fund’s estimated interest rate duration within +/- 2 years of the benchmark’s duration (approximately 5.1 years as of 05/31/12). For an additional discussion of duration, see “Additional Information About the Funds’ Investment Strategies, Risks, and Expenses – Fixed Income Funds – Duration.”

Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests directly and indirectly (e.g., through other GMO Funds or derivatives) at least 80% of its assets in bonds (see “Name Policies”). The term “bond” includes (i) obligations of an issuer to make payments of principal and/or interest (whether fixed or variable) on future dates and (ii) synthetic debt instruments created by the Manager by using derivatives (e.g., a futures contract, swap contract, currency forward, or option).

The Fund is not limited in its use of derivatives or in the absolute face value of its derivative positions. As a result of its derivative positions, the Fund will typically have gross investment exposures in excess of its net assets (i.e., the Fund will be leveraged) and therefore is subject to heightened risk of loss. The Fund’s performance can depend substantially, if not primarily, on derivative reference assets that the Fund does not own.
Risk [Heading] rr_RiskHeading Principal risks of investing in the Fund
Risk Narrative [Text Block] rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock The value of the Fund’s shares changes with the value of the Fund’s investments. Many factors can affect this value, and you may lose money by investing in the Fund. The Fund is a non-diversified investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and therefore a decline in the market value of a particular security held by the Fund may affect the Fund’s performance more than if the Fund were a diversified investment company. The principal risks of investing in the Fund are summarized below. For a more complete discussion of these risks, see “Description of Principal Risks.”
  • Market Risk – Fixed Income Investments – The market price of a fixed income investment can decline due to a number of market-related factors, including rising (or, in some limited cases, declining) interest rates and widening credit spreads, or decreased liquidity that reflect the market’s uncertainty about the value of a fixed income investment (or class of fixed income investments).
  • Market Risk – Asset-Backed Securities – The market price of fixed income investments with complex structures, such as asset-backed securities, can decline due to a number of factors, including market uncertainty about their credit quality and the reliability of their payment streams. Payment streams associated with asset-backed securities held by the Fund depend on many factors (e.g., the cash flow generated by the assets backing the securities, the deal structure, the credit worthiness of any credit-support provider, and the reliability of various other service providers with access to the payment stream) and a problem in any one of these areas can lead to a decrease in the payment stream expected by the Fund at the time it purchased the asset-backed security.
  • Credit Risk – The Fund runs the risk that the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income investment will be unable or unwilling to satisfy its obligation to pay principal and interest or otherwise to honor its obligations in a timely manner. The market price of a fixed income investment will normally decline as a result of the issuer’s or guarantor’s failure to meet its payment obligations. Below investment grade securities have speculative characteristics, and changes in economic conditions or other circumstances are more likely to impair the capacity of issuers to make principal and interest payments than is the case with issuers of investment grade securities.
  • Liquidity Risk – Low trading volume, lack of a market maker, large position size, or legal restrictions may limit or prevent the Fund from selling particular securities or unwinding derivative positions at desirable prices.
  • Derivatives Risk – The use of derivatives involves the risk that their value may or may not move as expected relative to the value of the relevant underlying assets, rates, or indices. Derivatives also present other risks, including market risk, liquidity risk, currency risk and counterparty risk.
  • Leveraging Risk – The use of reverse repurchase agreements and other derivatives and securities lending creates leverage. Leverage increases the magnitude of the Fund’s losses when the value of its investments (including derivatives) declines.
  • Counterparty Risk – The Fund runs the risk that the counterparty to an over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives contract or a borrower of the Fund’s securities will be unable or unwilling to make timely settlement payments or otherwise honor its obligations. The risk of counterparty default is particularly acute in economic environments in which financial services firms are exposed to systemic risks of the type evidenced by the insolvency of Lehman Brothers in 2008 and subsequent market disruptions.
  • Focused Investment Risk – Focusing investments in countries, regions, sectors, or companies with high positive correlations to one another, such as the Fund’s investments in asset-backed securities secured by different types of consumer debt (e.g., credit-card receivables, automobile loans and home equity loans), creates more risk than if the Fund’s investments were less correlated.
  • Currency Risk – Fluctuations in exchange rates can adversely affect the market value of the Fund’s non-U.S. currency holdings and investments denominated in non-U.S. currencies.
  • Management and Operational Risk – The Fund runs the risk that GMO’s investment techniques will fail to produce desired results. The Fund’s portfolio managers may use quantitative analyses and models, and any imperfections or limitations in those analyses and models could affect the ability of the portfolio managers to implement the strategies they wish to pursue. By necessity, these analyses and models make simplifying assumptions that limit their efficacy. Models that appear to explain prior market data can fail to predict future market events. Further, the data used in models may be inaccurate and may not include the most recent information about a company or a security. The Fund also runs the risk that GMO’s fundamental assessment of an investment may be wrong or that deficiencies in GMO’s or another service provider’s internal systems or controls will cause losses for the Fund or impair Fund operations.
  • Fund of Funds Risk – The Fund is indirectly exposed to all of the risks of an investment in the underlying funds in which it invests, including the risk that those funds will not perform as expected.
  • Non-U.S. Investment Risk – The market prices of many non-U.S. securities fluctuate more than those of U.S. securities. Many non-U.S. markets are less stable, smaller, less liquid, and less regulated than U.S. markets, and the cost of trading in those markets often is higher than in U.S. markets. Non-U.S. portfolio transactions generally involve higher commission rates, transfer taxes, and custodial costs than similar transactions in the U.S. In addition, the Fund may be subject to non-U.S. taxes, including potentially on a retroactive basis, on (i) capital gains it realizes or dividends or interest it receives on non-U.S. securities, (ii) transactions in those securities and (iii) the repatriation of proceeds generated from the sale of those securities. Also, many non-U.S. markets require a license for the Fund to invest directly in those markets, and the Fund is subject to the risk that it could not invest if its license were terminated or suspended. In some non-U.S. markets, prevailing custody and trade settlement practices (e.g., the requirement to pay for securities prior to receipt) expose the Fund to credit and other risks with respect to participating brokers, custodians, clearing banks or other clearing agents, escrow agents and issuers. Further, adverse changes in investment regulations, capital requirements or exchange controls could adversely affect the value of the Fund’s investments. These and other risks (e.g., nationalization, expropriation or other confiscation of assets of non-U.S. issuers) tend to be greater for investments in companies tied economically to emerging countries, the economies of which tend to be more volatile than the economies of developed countries.
  • Market Disruption and Geopolitical Risk – Geopolitical and other events may disrupt securities markets and adversely affect global economies and markets. Those events, as well as other changes in non-U.S. and U.S. economic and political conditions, could adversely affect the value of the Fund’s investments.
  • Large Shareholder Risk – To the extent that a large number of shares of the Fund is held by a single shareholder (e.g., an institutional investor or another GMO Fund) or a group of shareholders with a common investment strategy (e.g., GMO asset allocation accounts), the Fund is subject to the risk that a redemption by those shareholders of all or a large portion of their Fund shares will disrupt the Fund’s operations.
Risk Lose Money [Text] rr_RiskLoseMoney Many factors can affect this value, and you may lose money by investing in the Fund.
Risk Nondiversified Status [Text] rr_RiskNondiversifiedStatus The Fund is a non-diversified investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and therefore a decline in the market value of a particular security held by the Fund may affect the Fund’s performance more than if the Fund were a diversified investment company.
Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading] rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading Performance
Performance Narrative [Text Block] rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock The bar chart and table below provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s annual total returns from year to year for the periods indicated and by comparing the Fund’s average annual total returns for different calendar periods with those of a broad-based index. After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on your tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns shown are not relevant if you are tax exempt or if you hold your Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements (such as a 401(k) plan or individual retirement account). After-tax returns are shown for Class III shares only; after-tax returns for other classes will vary. Past performance (before and after taxes) is not an indication of future performance.
Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text] rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns The bar chart and table below provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s annual total returns from year to year for the periods indicated and by comparing the Fund’s average annual total returns for different calendar periods with those of a broad-based index.
Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text] rr_PerformancePastDoesNotIndicateFuture Past performance (before and after taxes) is not an indication of future performance.
Bar Chart [Heading] rr_BarChartHeading Annual Total Returns/Class III Shares
Years Ending December 31
Bar Chart Closing [Text Block] rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock Highest Quarter: 9.12% (3Q2009)
Lowest Quarter: –15.24% (4Q2008)
Year-to-Date (as of 3/31/12): 1.72%
Performance Table Heading rr_PerformanceTableHeading Average Annual Total Returns
Periods Ending December 31, 2011
Performance Table Uses Highest Federal Rate rr_PerformanceTableUsesHighestFederalRate After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes.
Performance Table Not Relevant to Tax Deferred rr_PerformanceTableNotRelevantToTaxDeferred Actual after-tax returns depend on your tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns shown are not relevant if you are tax exempt or if you hold your Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements (such as a 401(k) plan or individual retirement account).
Performance Table One Class of after Tax Shown [Text] rr_PerformanceTableOneClassOfAfterTaxShown After-tax returns are shown for Class III shares only; after-tax returns for other classes will vary.
GMO Trust | GMO Core Plus Bond Fund | Class III
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Management fee rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.25% [1]
Shareholder service fee rr_DistributionOrSimilarNon12b1FeesOverAssets 0.15% [1]
Other expenses rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.11%
Acquired fund fees and expenses (underlying fund expenses) rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets 0.04% [2]
Total annual operating expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 0.55%
Expense reimbursement/waiver rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets (0.12%) [1]
Total annual operating expenses after expense reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 0.43% [3]
1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 44 [4]
3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 171
5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 309
10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 711
2002 rr_AnnualReturn2002 5.81%
2003 rr_AnnualReturn2003 11.23%
2004 rr_AnnualReturn2004 6.58%
2005 rr_AnnualReturn2005 3.80%
2006 rr_AnnualReturn2006 5.63%
2007 rr_AnnualReturn2007 (1.44%)
2008 rr_AnnualReturn2008 (19.59%)
2009 rr_AnnualReturn2009 21.70%
2010 rr_AnnualReturn2010 13.27%
2011 rr_AnnualReturn2011 8.76%
Year to Date Return, Label rr_YearToDateReturnLabel Year-to-Date
Bar Chart, Year to Date Return, Date rr_BarChartYearToDateReturnDate Mar. 31, 2012
Bar Chart, Year to Date Return rr_BarChartYearToDateReturn 1.72%
Highest Quarterly Return, Label rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel Highest Quarter:
Highest Quarterly Return, Date rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate Sep. 30, 2009
Highest Quarterly Return rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn 9.12%
Lowest Quarterly Return, Label rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel Lowest Quarter:
Lowest Quarterly Return, Date rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate Dec. 31, 2008
Lowest Quarterly Return rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn (15.24%)
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 8.76%
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 3.51%
10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 5.04%
Incept. rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 5.83%
Inception Date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate Apr. 30, 1997
GMO Trust | GMO Core Plus Bond Fund | Class IV
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Management fee rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.25% [1]
Shareholder service fee rr_DistributionOrSimilarNon12b1FeesOverAssets 0.10% [1]
Other expenses rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.11%
Acquired fund fees and expenses (underlying fund expenses) rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets 0.04% [2]
Total annual operating expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 0.50%
Expense reimbursement/waiver rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets (0.12%) [1]
Total annual operating expenses after expense reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 0.38% [3]
1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 39 [4]
3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 155
5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 281
10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 650
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 8.94%
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 3.56%
10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10   
Incept. rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 3.97%
Inception Date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate Jul. 26, 2005
GMO Trust | Return After Taxes on Distributions | GMO Core Plus Bond Fund | Class III
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 4.69%
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 (0.44%)
10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 1.93%
Incept. rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 2.88%
Inception Date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate Apr. 30, 1997
GMO Trust | Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares | GMO Core Plus Bond Fund | Class III
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 5.66%
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 0.57%
10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 2.42%
Incept. rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 3.20%
Inception Date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate Apr. 30, 1997
GMO Trust | Barclays U.S. Aggregate Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes) | GMO Core Plus Bond Fund | Class III
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 7.84%
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 6.50%
10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 5.78%
Incept. rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 6.41%
Inception Date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate Apr. 30, 1997
GMO Trust | Barclays U.S. Aggregate Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes) | GMO Core Plus Bond Fund | Class IV
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 7.84%
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 6.50%
10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10   
Incept. rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 5.83%
Inception Date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate Jul. 26, 2005
[1] Grantham, Mayo, Van Otterloo & Co. LLC (the "Manager" or "GMO") has contractually agreed to reimburse the Fund for the following expenses to the extent that they are borne by the Fund: audit expenses, fund accounting expenses, pricing service expenses, non-investment related tax expenses, transfer agency expenses, non-investment related legal expenses provided to the Fund by or at the direction of the Manager, federal securities law filing expenses, printing expenses, state and federal registration fees and custody expenses. The Manager also has agreed to waive and/or reduce the Fund's management fees and shareholder service fees to the extent necessary to offset the management fees and shareholder service fees directly or indirectly paid to the Manager as a result of the Fund's direct or indirect investments in other GMO Funds. Management fees and shareholder service fees will not be waived below zero. These waivers and reimbursements will continue through at least June 30, 2013, and may not be terminated prior to this date without the action or consent of the Fund's Board of Trustees.
[2] These indirect expenses include interest expense that may be incurred by certain underlying funds and also include, to the extent applicable, purchase premiums and redemption fees ("transaction fees") charged by certain underlying funds. Net fees and expenses of underlying funds (before addition of interest expense and transaction fees), indirect interest expense, and indirect transaction fees were 0.03%, 0.01%, and less than 0.01%, respectively.
[3] Total annual operating expenses after expense reimbursement/waiver (Fund and underlying fund expenses)
[4] After reimbursement