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Risk/Return:

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Registrant Name

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GMO TRUST

Prospectus Date

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Jun. 30, 2017

GMO Currency Hedged International Bond Fund

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return [Heading]

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GMO CURRENCY HEDGED INTERNATIONAL BOND FUND

Objective [Heading]

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Investment objective

Objective, Primary [Text Block]

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Total return in excess of that of its benchmark, the J.P. Morgan GBI Global ex Japan ex U.S. (Hedged).

Expense [Heading]

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Fees and expenses

Expense Narrative [Text Block]

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The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may bear if you buy and hold shares of the Fund.

Operating Expenses Caption [Text]

rr_OperatingExpensesCaption

Annual Fund operating expenses
(expenses that you bear each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Fee Waiver or Reimbursement over Assets, Date of Termination

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssetsDateOfTermination

June 30, 2018

Portfolio Turnover [Heading]

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Portfolio turnover

Portfolio Turnover [Text Block]

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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 transaction 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, 2017, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate (excluding short-term investments) was 21% of the average value of its portfolio. That portfolio turnover rate includes investments in U.S. Treasury Fund, which the Fund uses as a short-term investment vehicle for cash management. The Fund’s portfolio turnover rate during its fiscal year ended February 28, 2017, excluding transactions in U.S. Treasury Fund and other short-term investments, was 0% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

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21.00%

Expense Example [Heading]

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Example

Expense Example Narrative [Text Block]

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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. The one year amount shown reflects the expense reimbursement and waiver noted in the expense table. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Strategy [Heading]

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Principal investment strategies

Strategy Narrative [Text Block]

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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 making investments that often will not track its benchmark. These investments principally 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 securities, and can cause the Fund's performance to differ significantly from that of its benchmark. The Fund typically has substantial direct and indirect investment exposure to the countries (e.g., United Kingdom) and regions (e.g., Eurozone) that represent a significant portion of the Fund's benchmark.

In deciding what investments to make in global interest rate and currency markets and the size of those investments, GMO uses a quantitative approach that considers fundamental factors (e.g., inflation and current account positions) as well as price-based factors (e.g., interest and exchange rates). GMO evaluates the relative attractiveness of particular markets and instruments using various fixed income risk premium measures, which typically include term structure, foreign exchange, volatility, credit, liquidity and other risks. GMO also may consider the relative attractiveness of yield curve and duration positions in these markets.

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

The factors GMO considers and investment methods GMO uses can change over time.

In pursuing its investment program, the Fund may make investments in:

• derivatives, including without limitation, futures contracts, currency options, interest rate options, currency forwards, reverse repurchase agreements, and swap contracts, such as credit default swaps, swaps on securities and securities indices, total return swaps, interest rate swaps, currency swaps, cross currency basis swaps, variance swaps, commodity swaps, inflation swaps, municipal swaps, correlation swaps, and other types of swaps (to generate a return comparable to the Fund's benchmark and to generate return in global interest rate, currency, and credit markets);

• bonds denominated in various currencies, including non-U.S. and U.S. government bonds and corporate bonds;

• shares of Opportunistic Income Fund (to provide exposure to credit (particularly, asset-backed) markets);

• shares of Emerging Country Debt Fund ("ECDF") (to provide exposure to emerging country debt securities); and

• shares of U.S. Treasury Fund, money market funds unaffiliated with GMO, or directly in the types of investments typically held by money market funds.

The Fund generally attempts to hedge at least 75% of its net foreign currency exposure into U.S. dollars.

As a result primarily of its investment in shares of Opportunistic Income Fund and ECDF, the Fund has and expects to continue to have material exposure to U.S. asset-backed and emerging country debt securities that are below investment grade (below investment grade debt investments are sometimes referred to as "junk bonds," although this term is not generally used to refer to emerging country debt securities or asset-backed securities).

GMO normally seeks to maintain the Fund's estimated interest rate duration within 2 years of the benchmark's duration (approximately 8.22 years as of 5/31/17). For an additional discussion of duration, see "Additional Information About the Funds' Investment Strategies, Risks, and Expenses — Bond 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 on future dates of principal, interest (whether fixed or variable) or both and (ii) synthetic debt instruments created by GMO by using derivatives (e.g., a futures contract, swap contract, currency forward, or option).

From time to time, the Fund may have some direct or indirect exposure to equities. The Fund may invest in securities of companies of any market capitalization.

The Fund is not limited in its use of derivatives or in the total notional value of its derivative positions. As a result of its derivative positions, the Fund typically has gross investment exposures in excess of its net assets (i.e., the Fund typically is leveraged) and therefore is subject to heightened risk of loss. The Fund's performance can depend substantially, if not primarily, on the performance of assets or indices underlying its derivatives even though it does not own those assets or indices.

rr_RiskHeading

Principal risks of investing in the Fund

Risk Narrative [Text Block]

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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 price 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 – The market price of a fixed income investment can decline due to market-related factors, including rising interest rates and widening credit spreads, or decreased liquidity stemming from the market's uncertainty about the value of a fixed income investment (or class of fixed income investments).

• Credit Risk – The Fund runs the risk that the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income investment or the obligor of an obligation underlying an asset-backed security 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, guarantor's, or obligor's failure to meet its payment obligations, or in anticipation of such failure. Below investment grade investments have speculative characteristics, and changes in economic conditions or other circumstances are more likely to impair the ability of issuers of those investments to make principal and interest payments than is the case with issuers of investment grade investments.

• Illiquidity 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 closing derivative positions at desirable prices.

• Derivatives and Short Sales Risk – The use of derivatives involves the risk that their value may not change as expected relative to changes in the value of the underlying assets, rates, or indices. Derivatives also present other risks, including market risk, illiquidity risk, currency risk, credit risk, and counterparty risk. The market price of an option is affected by many factors, including changes in the market prices or dividend rates of underlying securities (or in the case of indices, the securities in such indices); the time remaining before expiration; changes in interest rates or exchange rates; and changes in the actual or perceived volatility of the relevant stock market and underlying securities. The Fund may create short investment exposure by taking a derivative position in which the value of the derivative moves in the opposite direction from the price of an underlying investment, pool of investments, index or currency. The risks of loss associated with derivatives that provide short investment exposure and short sales of securities are theoretically unlimited.

• Futures Contracts Risk – The risk of loss to the Fund resulting from its use of futures contracts is potentially unlimited. Futures markets are highly volatile, and the use of futures contracts may increase the volatility of the Fund's net asset value. A liquid secondary market may not exist for any particular futures contract at any particular time, and the Fund might be unable to effect closing transactions to terminate its exposure to the contract. If the Fund uses futures contracts for hedging purposes, it runs the risk that changes in the prices of the contracts may not correlate perfectly with changes in the securities, index, or other asset underlying the contracts or movements in the prices of the Fund's investments that are the subject of the hedge. In addition, the Fund may be delayed or prevented from recovering margin or other amounts deposited with a futures commission merchant or futures clearinghouse. Foreign futures contracts are often less liquid and more volatile than U.S. contracts.

• Leveraging Risk – The use of reverse repurchase agreements and other derivatives and securities lending creates leverage. Leverage increases the Fund's losses when the value of its investments (including derivatives) declines.

• 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.

• 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 variety 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 creditworthiness 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 factors can lead to a reduction in the payment stream GMO expected the Fund to receive at the time the Fund purchased the asset-backed security.

• Focused Investment Risk – Investments focused in countries, regions, sectors, industries, or issuers that are subject to the same or similar risk factors and investments whose prices are closely correlated, such as the Fund's investments in non-U.S. government bonds and asset-backed securities secured by different types of consumer debt (e.g., credit-card receivables, automobile loans, and home equity loans), are subject to greater overall risk than investments that are more diversified or whose prices are not as closely correlated.

• Currency Risk – Fluctuations in exchange rates can adversely affect the market value of the Fund's foreign currency holdings and investments denominated in foreign currencies.

• Management and Operational Risk – The Fund runs the risk that GMO's investment techniques will fail to produce desired results. GMO uses quantitative models as part of its investment process. GMO's models may not accurately predict future market events. In addition, they use assumptions that can limit their effectiveness, and they rely on data that is subject to limitations (e.g., inaccuracies, staleness) that could adversely affect their predictive value. The Fund also runs the risk that GMO's assessment of an investment (including a company's fundamental fair (or intrinsic) value) is 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 underlying 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. securities markets are less stable, smaller, less liquid, and less regulated than U.S. securities markets, and the cost of trading in those markets often is higher than in U.S. securities markets. Transactions in non-U.S. securities generally involve higher commission rates, transfer taxes, and custodial costs than similar transactions in U.S. securities. 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, interest, or other amounts it realizes or accrues in respect of non-U.S. investments; (ii) transactions in those investments; and (iii) repatriation of proceeds generated from the sale or other disposition of those investments. Also, the Fund needs a license to invest directly in many non-U.S. securities 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. securities 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. 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 may be predominantly based on only a few industries or dependent on revenues from particular commodities and which often are more volatile than the economies of developed countries.

• 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 require the Fund to sell securities at disadvantageous prices or otherwise disrupt the Fund's operations.

• 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.

• Market Risk – Equities – The market price of an equity may decline due to factors affecting the issuer, its industry or the economy and equity markets generally. If the Fund purchases an equity for less than its fundamental fair (or intrinsic) value as determined by GMO, the Fund runs the risk that the market price of the equity will not appreciate or will decline due to GMO's incorrect assessment of the equity's fundamental fair (or intrinsic) value. The Fund also may purchase equities that typically trade at higher multiples of current earnings than other securities, and the market prices of these equities 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.

• Small Company Risk – Smaller companies may have limited product lines, markets, or financial resources, may lack the competitive strength of larger companies, may have inexperienced managers or may depend on a few key employees. The securities of companies with smaller market capitalizations 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.

Risk Lose Money [Text]

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Many factors can affect this value, and you may lose money by investing in the Fund.

Risk Nondiversified Status [Text]

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The Fund is a non-diversified investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and therefore a decline in the market price 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]

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Performance

Performance Narrative [Text Block]

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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 (which is a broad-based index) and a composite index computed by GMO. 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-advantaged arrangements (such as a 401(k) plan or individual retirement account). Updated performance information for the Fund is available at www.gmo.com. Past performance (before and after taxes) is not an indication of future performance.

Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text]

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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 (which is a broad-based index) and a composite index computed by GMO.

Performance Availability Website Address [Text]

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www.gmo.com

Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text]

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Past performance (before and after taxes) is not an indication of future performance.

Bar Chart [Heading]

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Annual Total Returns/Class III Shares
Years Ending December 31

Bar Chart Closing [Text Block]

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Highest Quarter: 8.23% (3Q2009)
Lowest Quarter: -11.09% (4Q2008)
Year-to-Date (as of 3/31/17): 0.38%

Performance Table Heading

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Average Annual Total Returns
Periods Ending December 31, 2016

Performance Table Uses Highest Federal Rate

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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

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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-advantaged arrangements (such as a 401(k) plan or individual retirement account).

GMO Currency Hedged International Bond Fund | Class III

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.25%

^[1]

Shareholder service fee

rr_DistributionOrSimilarNon12b1FeesOverAssets

0.15%

^[1]

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.30%

Acquired fund fees and expenses (underlying fund expenses)

rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets

0.05%

^[2]

Total annual fund operating expenses

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.75%

Expense reimbursement/waiver

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.31%)

^[1]

Total annual fund operating expenses after expense reimbursement/waiver (Fund and underlying fund expenses)

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.44%

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

$ 45

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

215

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

400

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

934

rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01

45

rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03

215

rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05

400

rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10

$ 934

rr_AnnualReturn2007

(4.00%)

rr_AnnualReturn2008

(13.56%)

rr_AnnualReturn2009

18.81%

rr_AnnualReturn2010

11.70%

rr_AnnualReturn2011

7.97%

rr_AnnualReturn2012

11.34%

rr_AnnualReturn2013

0.14%

rr_AnnualReturn2014

16.59%

rr_AnnualReturn2015

0.47%

rr_AnnualReturn2016

4.80%

Year to Date Return, Label

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Year-to-Date

Bar Chart, Year to Date Return, Date

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Mar. 31, 2017

Bar Chart, Year to Date Return

rr_BarChartYearToDateReturn

0.38%

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

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Highest Quarter:

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate

Sep. 30, 2009

Highest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn

8.23%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

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Lowest Quarter:

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate

Dec. 31, 2008

Lowest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn

(11.09%)

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

4.80%

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

6.48%

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

4.99%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

7.67%

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Sep. 30, 1994

GMO Currency Hedged International Bond Fund | Return After Taxes on Distributions | Class III

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

3.28%

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

4.42%

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

2.95%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

4.60%

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Sep. 30, 1994

GMO Currency Hedged International Bond Fund | Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares | Class III

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

2.71%

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

4.10%

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

2.98%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

4.74%

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Sep. 30, 1994

GMO Currency Hedged International Bond Fund | J.P. Morgan GBI Global ex Japan ex U.S. (Hedged) (Fund benchmark) (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Index No Deduction for Fees, Expenses, Taxes [Text]

rr_IndexNoDeductionForFeesExpensesTaxes

(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

5.62%

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

5.71%

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

5.38%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

6.71%

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Sep. 30, 1994

GMO Currency Hedged International Bond Fund | J.P. Morgan GBI Global ex Japan ex U.S. (Hedged) + (Composite index)

Risk/Return:

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

5.62%

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

5.71%

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10

5.38%

Since Inception

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

6.75%

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Sep. 30, 1994

[1]

Grantham, Mayo, Van Otterloo & Co. LLC ("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 GMO, federal securities law filing expenses, printing expenses, state and federal registration fees and custody expenses. GMO also has contractually 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 paid to GMO that are directly or indirectly borne by the Fund as a result of the Fund's direct or indirect investments in other series of GMO Trust ("GMO Funds"). Management fees and shareholder service fees will not be waived below zero. These reimbursements and waivers will continue through at least June 30, 2018, and may not be terminated prior to this date without the action or consent of the Trust's Board of Trustees.

[2]

Consists of approximately 0.05% in underlying fund fees and expenses and less than 0.01% in interest expense incurred by underlying funds.