white paper

American  

[hwahyt pay-per, wahyt, hwahyt-pay-per, wahyt] / ˈʰwaɪt ˈpeɪ pər, ˈwaɪt, ˈʰwaɪtˌpeɪ pər, ˈwaɪt /

noun

• white papers
  plural

1. paper bleached white.

2. an official governmental report.

3. an authoritative report issued by any organization.

   The TV network presented its white paper on news coverage of major crimes.

4. an official British government publication on a specific subject prepared by a committee and presented to the House of Commons, usually reporting results of a recent investigation or summarizing policy.

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white paper British  

noun

1. (often capitals) an official government report in any of a number of countries, including Britain, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada, which sets out the government's policy on a matter that is or will come before Parliament

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• white papers
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of white paper

First recorded in 1560–70

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

white paper

“I don’t have to look at a white paper on affordability. I know people are struggling and that this economy is hurting people,” Berg told The 19th.

From Salon ● Sep. 9, 2026

Earlier in our conversation, which veers rapidly across his prolific career, he held up a series of storyboards scrawled on white paper.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

With your back to the Sun, you can project the eclipse as it happens on to another piece of white paper or card.

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

The San Francisco-based company said it is working on a white paper on best practices for containing AI models when running tests—dubbed evals—of their cybersecurity capabilities.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

In the polished box lay a rolled white paper tied with a red ribbon.

From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck

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