carbon copy

See synonyms for carbon copy on Thesaurus.com
noun
    • a duplicate of anything written or typed, made by using a photocopier or, formerly, by using carbon paper. Abbreviation: cc

    • a copy of an email or other electronic document that is sent to one or more people in addition to the primary addressee. Abbreviation: cc

  1. a near or exact duplicate of a given person or thing; replica: She's a carbon copy of her mother.

Origin of carbon copy

1
First recorded in 1890–95

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use carbon copy in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for carbon copy

carbon copy

noun
  1. a duplicate copy of writing, typewriting, or drawing obtained by using carbon paper: Often shortened to: carbon

  2. informal a person or thing that is identical or very similar to another

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with carbon copy

carbon copy

A person or thing that closely resembles another, as in Our grandson is a carbon copy of his dad. Originally this term meant a copy of a document made by using carbon paper. The linguistic transfer to other kinds of duplicate survived the demise of carbon paper (replaced by photocopiers, computer printers, and other more sophisticated devices). [c. 1870]

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