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Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Registrant Name dei_EntityRegistrantName GMO TRUST
Prospectus Date rr_ProspectusDate Jun. 30, 2013
GMO Trust | GMO Currency Hedged International Equity Fund
 
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Risk/Return [Heading] rr_RiskReturnHeading GMO CURRENCY HEDGED INTERNATIONAL EQUITY FUND
Objective [Heading] rr_ObjectiveHeading Investment objective
Objective, Primary [Text Block] rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock Total return greater than that of its benchmark, the MSCI EAFE Index (Hedged).
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 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, 2014
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 result in higher transaction costs and, when Fund shares are held in a taxable account, higher taxes. 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 28, 2013, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate (excluding short-term investments) was 45% of the average value of its portfolio.
Portfolio Turnover, Rate rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate 45.00%
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 is a fund of funds and invests primarily in other GMO Funds. The Fund may invest in International Equity Fund, International Large/Mid Cap Equity Fund, and International Small Companies Fund (collectively, the “underlying Funds”) and may invest in securities directly.

Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests directly and indirectly (through investment in the underlying Funds) at least 80% of its assets in equity investments (see “Name Policies”). The term “equity investments” refers to direct and indirect investments in common stocks and other stock-related securities, such as preferred stocks, convertible securities, depositary receipts, and exchange-traded equity real estate investment trusts (REITs) and income trusts.

The Manager uses multi-year forecasts of returns and risk among major sectors in the international equity markets (e.g., large-cap value, large-cap growth, large-cap core, small- and mid-cap value, and small- and mid-cap growth) to select the underlying Funds and decide how much to invest in each. An important component of those forecasts is the expectation that valuation reversion ultimately drives market returns. The Manager shifts investments among the underlying Funds 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. The factors considered and investment methods used by the Manager can change over time.

The Manager assesses the currency exposure of the underlying Funds’ holdings and then attempts to hedge at least 70% of that exposure relative to the U.S. dollar through the use of currency forwards and other derivatives. While the Fund’s benchmark is fully hedged, the Fund may take active overweighted and underweighted positions in particular currencies relative to its benchmark.

The Fund also may invest in U.S. Treasury Fund and money market funds that are unaffiliated with GMO. The Fund also may lend its portfolio securities.
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. 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 price of a particular security held by those Funds may affect their performance more than if they 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.”
  • Market Risk – Equities – The market prices of equities 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 equities 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 or will decline 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 equities 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 the market prices of equities trading at lower multiples. Declines in stock market prices generally are likely to reduce the net asset value of the Fund’s shares.
  • 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, errors, or limitations in those analyses and models could affect the ability of the portfolio managers to implement the Fund’s strategies. 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 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.
  • 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. investments, (ii) transactions in those investments, and (iii) the repatriation of proceeds generated from the sale of those investments. 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.
  • Derivatives Risk – The use of derivatives involves the risk that their value may not move as expected relative to the value of the underlying assets, rates, or indices. Derivatives also present other risks, including market risk, liquidity risk, currency risk, and counterparty risk.
  • 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 underlying Funds will not perform as expected. Because the Fund bears the fees and expenses of the underlying Funds in which it invests, a reallocation of the Fund’s investments to underlying Funds with higher fees or expenses will increase the Fund’s total expenses. The fees and expenses associated with an investment in the Fund are less predictable than those associated with an investment in funds that charge a fixed management fee.
  • 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. 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 the Fund from selling particular securities or unwinding derivative positions at desirable prices.
  • 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.
  • Counterparty Risk – The Fund runs the risk that the counterparty to a derivatives contract, a clearing member used by the Fund to hold a cleared derivatives contract, or a borrower of the Fund’s securities will be unable or unwilling to make timely settlement payments, return the Fund’s margin or otherwise honor its obligations.
  • Leveraging Risk – The use of derivatives and securities lending creates leverage. Leverage increases the Fund’s losses when the value of its investments (including derivatives) declines.
  • 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 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 price of a particular security held by those Funds may affect their performance more than if they 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 the Fund’s benchmark and an additional broad-based international stock index selected by the Manager. 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). 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 the Fund’s benchmark and an additional broad-based international stock index selected by the Manager.
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: 16.08% (2Q2003)
Lowest Quarter: – 14.82% (3Q2011)
Year-to-Date (as of 3/31/13): 7.48%
Performance Table Heading rr_PerformanceTableHeading Average Annual Total Returns
Periods Ending December 31, 2012
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).
GMO Trust | GMO Currency Hedged International Equity Fund | Class III
 
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Management fee rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.54% [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 0.58%
Total annual operating expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 1.29%
Expense reimbursement/waiver rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets (0.60%) [1]
Total annual operating expenses after expense reimbursement/waiver rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 0.69%
1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 70 [2]
3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 360
5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 672
10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 1,556
1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01 70 [2]
3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03 360
5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05 672
10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10 $ 1,556
2003 rr_AnnualReturn2003 20.96%
2004 rr_AnnualReturn2004 14.77%
2005 rr_AnnualReturn2005 27.32%
2006 rr_AnnualReturn2006 19.31%
2007 rr_AnnualReturn2007 5.88%
2008 rr_AnnualReturn2008 (34.09%)
2009 rr_AnnualReturn2009 16.11%
2010 rr_AnnualReturn2010 7.72%
2011 rr_AnnualReturn2011 (9.68%)
2012 rr_AnnualReturn2012 16.51%
Year to Date Return, Label rr_YearToDateReturnLabel Year-to-Date
Bar Chart, Year to Date Return, Date rr_BarChartYearToDateReturnDate Mar. 31, 2013
Bar Chart, Year to Date Return rr_BarChartYearToDateReturn 7.48%
Highest Quarterly Return, Label rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel Highest Quarter:
Highest Quarterly Return, Date rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate Jun. 30, 2003
Highest Quarterly Return rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn 16.08%
Lowest Quarterly Return, Label rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel Lowest Quarter:
Lowest Quarterly Return, Date rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate Sep. 30, 2011
Lowest Quarterly Return rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn (14.82%)
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 16.51%
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 (2.80%)
10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 6.84%
Incept. rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 7.06%
Inception Date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate Jun. 30, 1995
GMO Trust | GMO Currency Hedged International Equity Fund | Return After Taxes on Distributions | Class III
 
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 15.67%
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 (4.87%)
10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 4.37%
Incept. rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 3.39%
Inception Date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate Jun. 30, 1995
GMO Trust | GMO Currency Hedged International Equity Fund | Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares | Class III
 
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 11.76%
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 (2.95%)
10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 5.59%
Incept. rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 4.41%
Inception Date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate Jun. 30, 1995
GMO Trust | GMO Currency Hedged International Equity Fund | MSCI EAFE Index (Hedged) (Fund benchmark) (returns reflect no deduction for fees or expenses, but are net of withholding tax on dividend reinvestments)
 
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 17.54%
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 (3.76%)
10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 6.02%
Incept. rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 5.47%
Inception Date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate Jun. 30, 1995
GMO Trust | GMO Currency Hedged International Equity Fund | MSCI EAFE Index (returns reflect no deduction for fees or expenses, but are net of withholding tax on dividend reinvestments)
 
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 17.32%
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 (3.69%)
10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 8.21%
Incept. rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 4.67%
Inception Date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate Jun. 30, 1995
[1] Grantham, Mayo, Van Otterloo & Co. LLC (the "Manager" or "GMO") has contractually agreed to reimburse the Fund for the following expenses: audit expenses, fund accounting expenses, pricing service expenses, expenses of non-investment related tax services, transfer agency expenses, expenses of non-investment related legal services 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 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. This reimbursement and waiver will continue through at least June 30, 2014, and may not be terminated prior to this date without the action or consent of the Fund's Board of Trustees.
[2] After reimbursement