paper clip

¹ American  

noun

1. a flat wire or plastic clip shaped so that it can hold sheets of paper between two of its loops.

2. a spring clamp for holding papers.

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paper-clip ² American  

[pey-per-klip] / ˈpeɪ pərˈklɪp /

verb (used with object)

paper-clipped, paper-clipping

1. to fasten together with one or more paper clips.

   Paper-clip these letters and file them.

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Etymology

Origin of paper clip¹

First recorded in 1870–75

Origin of paper-clip²

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

Even Woo has a paper clip pinning his tiny nostrils together.

From Literature

So he found a workaround: a paper clip.

From The Wall Street Journal

I was holding it together with Scotch tape and paper clips.

From Salon

After a few weeks, Webb had read it and stuck a paper clip — about 500 in all — over every passage that might offend the higher-ups.

From Los Angeles Times

“I mean, we may lose our paper clips and bottle caps, but we always have each other.”

From Los Angeles Times