diff --git a/gcc/configure b/gcc/configure
index a742d4406a8..74bf1c63e47 100755
--- a/gcc/configure
+++ b/gcc/configure
@@ -1823,7 +1823,8 @@ Optional Packages:
   --with-stack-clash-protection-guard-size=size
                           Set the default stack clash protection guard size
                           for specific targets as a power of two in bytes.
-  --with-dwarf2           force the default debug format to be DWARF 2
+  --with-dwarf2           force the default debug format to be DWARF 2 (or
+                          later)
   --with-specs=SPECS      add SPECS to driver command-line processing
   --with-pkgversion=PKG   Use PKG in the version string in place of "GCC"
   --with-bugurl=URL       Direct users to URL to report a bug
diff --git a/gcc/configure.ac b/gcc/configure.ac
index d4c2b75119d..7ca08726efa 100644
--- a/gcc/configure.ac
+++ b/gcc/configure.ac
@@ -1023,7 +1023,7 @@ fi,
 objc_boehm_gc='')
 
 AC_ARG_WITH(dwarf2,
-[AS_HELP_STRING([--with-dwarf2], [force the default debug format to be DWARF 2])],
+[AS_HELP_STRING([--with-dwarf2], [force the default debug format to be DWARF 2 (or later)])],
 dwarf2="$with_dwarf2",
 dwarf2=no)
 
diff --git a/gcc/doc/install.texi b/gcc/doc/install.texi
index 589c64965b2..1d7c73eb914 100644
--- a/gcc/doc/install.texi
+++ b/gcc/doc/install.texi
@@ -1914,7 +1914,7 @@ should not be built.
 
 @item --with-dwarf2
 Specify that the compiler should
-use DWARF 2 debugging information as the default.
+use DWARF 2 (or later) debugging information as the default.
 
 @item --with-advance-toolchain=@var{at}
 On 64-bit PowerPC Linux systems, configure the compiler to use the