copy

American  

[kop-ee] / ˈkɒp i /

noun

• copies
  plural

1. an imitation, reproduction, or transcript of an original.

   a copy of a famous painting.

   Synonyms:

   facsimile, carbon, duplicate

2. one of the various examples or specimens of the same book, engraving, or the like.

3. written matter intended to be reproduced in printed form.

   The editor sent the copy for the next issue to the printer.

4. the text of a news story, advertisement, television commercial, etc., as distinguished from related visual material.

5. the newsworthiness of a person, thing, or event (often preceded by good orbad ).

   The president is always good copy.

6. Computers. an exact duplicate of a file, program, etc..

   Keep a backup copy of the document.

7. Genetics. replication.

8. Printing. pictures and artwork prepared for reproduction.

9. British Informal. (in schools) a composition; a written assignment.

10. British. a size of drawing or writing paper, 16 × 20 inches (40 × 50 centimeters).

11. Archaic. something that is to be reproduced; an example or pattern, as of penmanship to be copied by a pupil.

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verb (used with object)

• copies,
  present (3rd person singular)
• copied,
  past participle,  past
• copying
  present participle

1. to make a copy of; transcribe; reproduce.

   to copy a set of figures from a book.

2. to receive and understand (a radio message or its sender).

3. to follow as a pattern or model; imitate.

   Antonyms:

   originate

4. Computers. to make an exact duplicate of (a file, selected text, etc.) and store in another location or in temporary memory.

   Can I copy the program to another computer? Copy the selected paragraph to the clipboard.

verb (used without object)

• copies,
  present (3rd person singular)
• copied,
  past participle,  past
• copying
  present participle

1. to make a copy or copies.

2. to undergo copying.

   It copied poorly.

   I can't install the program—one file won't copy.

3. to hear or receive a radio message, as over a CB radio.

   Do you copy?

4. Newfoundland. Also to leap from one ice pan to another across open water.

idioms

1. copy the mail, mail.

copy British  

/ ˈkɒpɪ /

noun

1. an imitation or reproduction of an original

2. a single specimen of something that occurs in a multiple edition, such as a book, article, etc

3. 1. matter to be reproduced in print

   2. written matter or text as distinct from graphic material in books, newspapers, etc

4. the words used to present a promotional message in an advertisement

5. informal journalism suitable material for an article or story

   disasters are always good copy

6. archaic a model to be copied, esp an example of penmanship

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verb

1. to make a copy or reproduction of (an original)

2. (tr) to imitate as a model

3. (intr) to imitate unfairly

Synonym Usage

See imitate.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• precopy
  noun
• recopy
  verb (used with object)
• uncopied
  adjective
• well-copied
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• copies
  plural

Participles

• copying
  present
• copied
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• copy
  simple
• copies
  simple
• have copied
  perfect
• has copied
  perfect
• am copying
  progressive
• are copying
  progressive
• is copying
  progressive
• have been copying
  perfect progressive
• has been copying
  perfect progressive

Past

• copied
  simple
• had copied
  perfect
• was copying
  progressive
• were copying
  progressive
• had been copying
  perfect progressive

Future

• will copy
  simple
• will have copied
  perfect
• will be copying
  progressive
• will have been copying
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of copy

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English copie (from Anglo-French ) from Medieval Latin cōpia “abundance, something copied,” Latin: “wealth, abundance”; see copious; copy ( def. 18 ) originally a children's game, from the phrase copy the leader

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Explanation

A copy is a reproduction of something — it looks identical to the original. You might ask your sister to make a copy of your nephew's adorable painting so you can hang it on your fridge. You can use the word copy in several different ways. Your doctor's office may keep a copy of your insurance card on file, and they may copy it again every year. This verb form of copy means "to replicate or reproduce." You can also copy down what your teacher says in class — in this case, you're not making an identical copy, but writing the basic ideas. The Medieval Latin root, copia, "reproduction or transcript," comes from the Latin word copia, "plenty."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

copy copies copied copying

I’ve been momentarily halted by that title each time I’ve picked up my tattered $5 thrift-store copy over the last few weeks.

From Salon ● Nov. 1, 2026

"Generative AI doesn't copy, it trains," Buckland explained.

From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026

Stéphane Bancel defended his melanoma data and argued that rivals can’t easily copy the technology.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026

The company behind the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders is seeking a court order to stop My Chemical Romance from using dancers in costumes it says copy the squad’s signature uniform.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026

A copy of Where the Red Fern Grows poked out of his back jeans pocket.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

The books themselves have not been banned, and copies already held by British retailers can remain on sale.

From Barron's ● Nov. 2, 2026

Although this sacrifice kills the individual cell, it prevents the virus from producing more copies and infecting nearby bacteria, helping protect the larger colony.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 31, 2026

For Scheffler, the issue goes beyond the work of an established illustrator whose Gruffalo books have sold more than 18 million copies worldwide.

From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026

If you forgot the hard copies, you can find the code online.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026

“I’m rereading my copies right now, but I think the library has a set.”

From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows

Anthropic stored Elvis’ songs “into a permanent, general-purpose central library intended to be retained indefinitely, from which subsets were selected and copied again to train the next generation of Claude models,” the lawsuit contends.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 25, 2026

These real-money portfolios — tracked via public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, disclosures and linked accounts — can be copied for a $9.99 monthly subscription fee.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026

He added that the company he worked with was working to implement "high-tech methods to beat AI" including putting moving images over photos so they cannot be copied.

From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026

“They would be willing to set the precedent for an alignment test that would be applied to the U.S. and would therefore be copied elsewhere,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

I copied the text, not including Caravaggio’s full name because, in a selective display of integrity, I decided that would be cheating.

From "Educated" by Tara Westover

Small artificial intelligence models may be only months away from being able to behave like a computer worm, copying themselves from one internet-connected gadget to the next without human help, AI giant Anthropic said.

From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026

But in the 1800s, no one could make a YouTube video accusing another creator of copying their slipper pattern, or debate English vs.

From Slate ● Oct. 11, 2026

British pop star Olivia Dean has been accused of copying the melody of Bill Withers' soul classic Just The Two of Us in a legal case filed in California.

From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026

In-N-Out has an extensive record of defending its trademark and has frequently taken or threatened legal action against entities accused of copying its menu or branding.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2026

I can’t even get mad at her for trying to talk like she’s so down, and copying Stacy’s highlights.

From "A Good Kind of Trouble" by Lisa Moore Ramée

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Related Words

• image
• model
• photocopy
• photograph
• portrait
• print
• replica
• reproduction
• transcript
• type

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