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Label Element Value
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Registrant Name dei_EntityRegistrantName GMO TRUST
Prospectus Date rr_ProspectusDate Jun. 30, 2012
GMO Trust | GMO Alpha Only Fund
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Risk/Return [Heading] rr_RiskReturnHeading GMO ALPHA ONLY FUND
Objective [Heading] rr_ObjectiveHeading Investment objective
Objective, Primary [Text Block] rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock Total return greater than that of its benchmark, the Citigroup 3-Month Treasury Bill Index.
Expense [Heading] rr_ExpenseHeading Fees and expenses
Expense Narrative [Text Block] rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock The tables below describe the fees and expenses that you may pay for each class of shares if you buy and hold shares of the Fund.
Shareholder Fees Caption [Text] rr_ShareholderFeesCaption Shareholder fees
(fees paid directly from your investment)
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 125% of the average value of its portfolio.
Portfolio Turnover, Rate rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate 125.00%
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. 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:
Expense Example by, Year, Caption [Text] rr_ExpenseExampleByYearCaption If you sell your shares
Expense Example, No Redemption, By Year, Caption [Text] rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionByYearCaption If you do no sell your shares
Strategy [Heading] rr_StrategyHeading Principal investment strategies
Strategy Narrative [Text Block] rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock The Fund’s investment program involves having both long and short investment exposures. The Fund seeks to construct a portfolio in which it has long investment exposure to asset classes and sub-asset classes that it expects will outperform relative to the asset classes and sub-asset classes to which it has short investment exposure.

To gain long investment exposure, the Fund invests primarily in shares of the U.S. Equity Funds and the International Equity Funds, and also may invest in shares of Emerging Country Debt Fund and U.S. Flexible Equities Fund (collectively, the “underlying Funds”) (see “Additional Information About the Funds’ Investment Strategies, Risks, and Expenses – Asset Allocation Funds”). In addition, the Fund may gain long investment exposure by investing in securities directly, rather than through the underlying Funds.

To gain short investment exposure, the Fund may use over-the-counter (“OTC”) and exchange-traded derivatives (including futures, swap contracts and currency forwards) and make short sales of securities, including short sales of securities the Fund does not own. 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.

The Manager uses multi-year forecasts of returns and risk among asset classes (e.g., non-U.S. equity, U.S. equity, emerging country equity and emerging country debt) and sub-asset classes (e.g., small- to mid-cap stocks in the non-U.S. equity asset class and quality stocks in the U.S. equity and emerging country equity asset classes) to select the underlying Funds and securities in which the Fund invests or takes short positions and to decide how much to invest and/or short in each. An important component of those forecasts is the expectation that valuation reversion ultimately drives market returns. The Manager changes the Fund’s holdings in response to changes in its investment outlook and market valuations and may use redemptions or purchases of Fund shares to rebalance the Fund’s investments.

For cash management purposes, the Fund may invest in U.S. Treasury Fund and unaffiliated money market funds.
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. References to investments include those held directly by the Fund and indirectly through the Fund’s investments in the underlying Funds. The Fund and some of the underlying Funds are non-diversified investment companies 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 or an underlying Fund may affect the Fund’s or the underlying Fund’s performance more than if the Fund or the underlying Fund were diversified investment companies. The principal risks of investing in the Fund are summarized below. For a more complete discussion of these risks, including those risks to which the Fund is exposed as a result of its investments in the underlying Funds, see “Description of Principal Risks.”
  • Derivatives Risk – The use of derivatives involves the risk that their value 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.
  • 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 Risk – Equity Securities – The market price of equity investments may decline due to factors affecting the issuing companies, their industries, or the economy and equity markets generally. If the Fund or an underlying Fund purchases equity investments at a discount from their value as determined by the Manager, the Fund runs the risk that the market prices of these investments will not appreciate to or decline from that value for a variety of reasons, one of which may be the Manager’s overestimation of the value of those investments. The Fund or an underlying Fund also may purchase equity investments that typically trade at higher multiples of current earnings than other securities, and the market prices of these investments often are more sensitive to changes in future earnings expectations than those other securities. In addition, the value of the Fund’s shares will be adversely affected if the equity investments that are the subject of the Fund’s short positions appreciate in value.
  • 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.
  • Currency Risk – Fluctuations in exchange rates can adversely affect the market value of non-U.S. currency holdings and investments denominated in non-U.S. currencies. In addition, hedging a non-U.S. currency can have a negative effect on performance if the U.S. dollar declines in value relative to that currency.
  • Liquidity Risk – Low trading volume, lack of a market maker, large position size, or legal restrictions may limit or prevent a Fund from selling particular securities or unwinding derivative positions at desirable prices.
  • 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 or that the Fund will invest in underlying funds with higher fees or expenses.
  • Leveraging Risk – The use of reverse repurchase agreements and other derivatives creates leverage. The Fund and some underlying Funds are not limited in their use of derivatives or in the absolute face value of their derivative positions. Leverage increases the magnitude of the Fund’s losses when the value of its investments (including derivatives) declines.
  • 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.
  • Counterparty Risk – The Fund runs the risk that the counterparty to an 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.
  • 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.
  • Natural Resources Risk – To the extent an underlying Fund concentrates its assets in the natural resources sector, the value of its portfolio is subject to factors affecting the natural resources industry and may fluctuate more than the value of a portfolio that consists of securities of companies in a broader range of industries.
  • Real Estate Risk – To the extent an underlying Fund concentrates its assets in real estate-related investments, the value of its portfolio is subject to factors affecting the real estate industry and may fluctuate more than the value of a portfolio that consists of securities of companies in a broader range of industries.
  • Smaller Company Risk – Smaller companies may have limited product lines, markets, or financial resources, may lack the competitive strength of larger companies, or may lack managers with experience or depend on a few key employees. The securities of small- and mid-cap companies often are less widely held and trade less frequently and in lesser quantities, and their market prices often fluctuate more, than the securities of companies with larger market capitalizations.
  • Short Sales Risk – The Fund runs the risk that the Fund’s loss on a short sale of securities that the Fund does not own is unlimited.
  • 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.
  • Focused Investment Risk – Focusing investments in countries, regions, sectors, companies, or industries with high positive correlations to one another creates more risk than if the Fund’s investments were less correlated.
  • 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 and some of the underlying Funds are non-diversified investment companies 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 or an underlying Fund may affect the Fund’s or the underlying Fund’s performance more than if the Fund or the underlying Fund were diversified investment companies.
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. Purchase premiums and redemption fees are not reflected in the bar chart, but are reflected in the table; as a result, the returns in the table may be lower than the returns in the bar chart. Returns in the table reflect current purchase premiums and redemption fees. 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 Does Not Reflect Sales Loads [Text] rr_BarChartDoesNotReflectSalesLoads Purchase premiums and redemption fees are not reflected in the bar chart, but are reflected in the table; as a result, the returns in the table may be lower than the returns in the bar chart.
Bar Chart Closing [Text Block] rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock Highest Quarter: 5.32% (4Q2008)
Lowest Quarter: –4.81% (2Q2009)
Year-to-Date (as of 3/31/12): –1.95%
Performance Table Heading rr_PerformanceTableHeading Average Annual Total Returns
Periods Ending December 31, 2011
Performance Table Does Reflect Sales Loads rr_PerformanceTableDoesReflectSalesLoads Returns in the table reflect current purchase premiums and redemption fees.
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 Alpha Only Fund | Class III
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Purchase premium (as a percentage of amount invested) rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice none
Redemption fee (as a percentage of amount redeemed) rr_RedemptionFeeOverRedemption none
Management fee rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.50% [1]
Shareholder service fee rr_DistributionOrSimilarNon12b1FeesOverAssets 0.15% [1]
Other expenses rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.02%
Acquired fund fees and expenses (underlying fund expenses) rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets 0.42% [2]
Total annual operating expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 1.09%
Expense reimbursement/waiver rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets (0.43%) [1]
Total annual operating expenses after expense reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 0.66% [3]
1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 67 [4]
3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 312
5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 577
10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 1,333
1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01 67 [4]
3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03 312
5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05 577
10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10 1,333
2002 rr_AnnualReturn2002 11.63%
2003 rr_AnnualReturn2003 2.71%
2004 rr_AnnualReturn2004 2.64%
2005 rr_AnnualReturn2005 4.95%
2006 rr_AnnualReturn2006 3.34%
2007 rr_AnnualReturn2007 7.60%
2008 rr_AnnualReturn2008 12.08%
2009 rr_AnnualReturn2009 (7.93%)
2010 rr_AnnualReturn2010 (4.02%)
2011 rr_AnnualReturn2011 4.73%
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 (1.95%)
Highest Quarterly Return, Label rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel Highest Quarter:
Highest Quarterly Return, Date rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate Dec. 31, 2008
Highest Quarterly Return rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn 5.32%
Lowest Quarterly Return, Label rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel Lowest Quarter:
Lowest Quarterly Return, Date rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate Jun. 30, 2009
Lowest Quarterly Return rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn (4.81%)
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 4.73%
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 2.22%
10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 3.60%
Incept. rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 4.21%
Inception Date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate Jul. 29, 1994
GMO Trust | GMO Alpha Only Fund | Class IV
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Purchase premium (as a percentage of amount invested) rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice none
Redemption fee (as a percentage of amount redeemed) rr_RedemptionFeeOverRedemption none
Management fee rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.50% [1]
Shareholder service fee rr_DistributionOrSimilarNon12b1FeesOverAssets 0.10% [1]
Other expenses rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.02%
Acquired fund fees and expenses (underlying fund expenses) rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets 0.42% [2]
Total annual operating expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 1.04%
Expense reimbursement/waiver rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets (0.43%) [1]
Total annual operating expenses after expense reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 0.61% [3]
1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 62 [4]
3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 297
5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 550
10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 1,275
1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01 62 [4]
3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03 297
5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05 550
10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10 1,275
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 4.78%
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 2.28%
10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10   
Incept. rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 2.31%
Inception Date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate Mar. 02, 2006
GMO Trust | Return After Taxes on Distributions | GMO Alpha Only Fund | Class III
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 4.62%
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 (2.04%)
10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 1.16%
Incept. rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 1.81%
Inception Date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate Jul. 29, 1994
GMO Trust | Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares | GMO Alpha Only Fund | Class III
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 3.46%
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 0.05%
10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 2.01%
Incept. rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 2.37%
Inception Date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate Jul. 29, 1994
GMO Trust | Citigroup 3-Month Treasury Bill Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes) | GMO Alpha Only Fund | Class III
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 0.08%
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 1.36%
10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 1.85%
Incept. rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 3.24%
Inception Date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate Jul. 29, 1994
GMO Trust | Citigroup 3-Month Treasury Bill Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes) | GMO Alpha Only Fund | Class IV
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 0.08%
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 1.36%
10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10   
Incept. rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 1.86%
Inception Date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate Mar. 02, 2006
[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 commission fees ("transaction fees") charged by certain underlying funds. Net fees and expenses of underlying funds (before addition of transaction fees) and indirect transaction fees were 0.42% and less than 0.01%, respectively.
[3] Total annual operating expenses after expense reimbursement/waiver (Fund and underlying fund expenses)
[4] After reimbursement