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PAPER Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com

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View synonyms for paper

paper

[ pey-per ]

noun

  1. a substance made from wood pulp, rags, straw, or other fibrous material, usually in thin sheets, used to bear writing or printing, for wrapping things, etc.
  2. a piece, sheet, or leaf of this.
  3. something resembling this substance, as papyrus.
  4. a written or printed document or the like.
  5. stationery; writing paper.
  6. a newspaper or journal.
  7. an essay, article, or dissertation on a particular topic:

    a paper on early Mayan artifacts.

  8. Often papers. a document establishing or verifying identity, status, or the like:

    citizenship papers.

  9. negotiable notes, bills, etc., as commercial paper or paper money:

    Only silver, please, no paper.

  10. a promissory note.
  11. papers,
    1. Nautical. ship's papers.
  12. a sheet or card of paper with pins or needles stuck through it in rows.
  13. a set of questions for an examination, an individual set of written answers to them, or any written piece of schoolwork.
  14. Slang. a free pass to an entertainment.


verb (used with object)

  1. to cover with wallpaper or apply wallpaper to:

    They papered the bedroom last summer.

  2. to line or cover with paper.
  3. to distribute handbills, posters, etc., throughout:

    to paper a neighborhood with campaign literature.

  4. to fold, enclose, or wrap in paper.
  5. to supply with paper.
  6. Informal. to deluge with documents, especially those requiring one to comply with certain technical procedures, as a means of legal harassment:

    He papered the plaintiff to force a settlement.

  7. Slang. to fill (a theater or the like) with spectators by giving away free tickets or passes.
  8. Archaic.
    1. to write or set down on paper.
    2. to describe in writing.

verb (used without object)

  1. to apply wallpaper to walls.

adjective

  1. made of paper or paperlike material:

    a paper bag.

  2. paperlike; thin, flimsy, or frail.
  3. of, relating to, or noting routine clerical duties.
  4. pertaining to or carried on by means of letters, articles, books, etc.:

    a paper war.

  5. written or printed on paper.
  6. existing in theory or principle only and not in reality:

    paper profits.

  7. indicating the first event of a series, as a wedding anniversary.
  8. Slang. including many patrons admitted on free passes, as an audience for a theatrical performance:

    It's a paper house tonight.

verb phrase

  1. to patch up or attempt to conceal (a difference, disagreement, etc.) so as to preserve a friendship, present a unified opinion, etc.:

    to paper over a dispute.

paper

/ ˈpeɪpə /

noun

  1. a substance made from cellulose fibres derived from rags, wood, etc, often with other additives, and formed into flat thin sheets suitable for writing on, decorating walls, wrapping, etc papyraceous
  2. a single piece of such material, esp if written or printed on
  3. usually plural documents for establishing the identity of the bearer; credentials
  4. Also calledship's papers plural official documents relating to the ownership, cargo, etc, of a ship
  5. plural collected diaries, letters, etc
  6. a lecture or short published treatise on a specific subject
  7. a short essay, as by a student
    1. a set of written examination questions
    2. the student's answers
  8. commerce See commercial paper
  9. slang.
    theatre a free ticket
  10. on paper
    in theory, as opposed to fact

    it was a good idea on paper, but failed in practice

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adjective

  1. made of paper

    paper cups do not last long

  2. thin like paper

    paper walls

  3. prenominal existing only as recorded on paper but not yet in practice

    paper profits

    paper expenditure

  4. taking place in writing

    paper battles

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. to cover (walls) with wallpaper
  2. tr to cover or furnish with paper
  3. slang.
    tr theatre to fill (a performance) by giving away free tickets (esp in the phrase paper the house )
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˈpaperer, noun
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Other Words From

  • paper·less adjective
  • paper·like adjective
  • re·paper verb (used with object)
  • un·papered adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of paper1

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English papire, from Latin papȳrus papyrus
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Word History and Origins

Origin of paper1

C14: from Latin papyrus
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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. on paper,
    1. in written or printed form.
    2. in theory rather than in practice.
    3. existing only in a preliminary state; in a plan or design:

      The university building program is still only on paper.

More idioms and phrases containing paper

In addition to the idiom beginning with paper , also see on paper ; push paper ; walking papers .
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Example Sentences

Geoffrey recalls a phone call his father made to him one morning, letting him know the papers had got hold of the story that he was leaving his mother.

From BBC

"Hundreds of Democratic volunteers knocked on thousands of doors in the county," the paper reported. while county Democratic chair Tom O'Brien claimed, "The Republicans, they really didn’t have a ground game."

From Salon

"He was hit and pulled away from my side," the 32-year-old told the paper.

From BBC

He always carries papers and pencils with him and attending his first inquiry hearing was no exception.

From BBC

In the paper, scientists propose that the moon underwent a "remelting" 4.35 billion years ago due to a tidal pull of the Earth.

From Salon

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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