newsprint
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of newsprint
Explanation
Newsprint is the inexpensive paper that's used to print newspapers and ads. Magazines tend to be printed on glossy, high-quality paper, while newspapers are printed on the thin and messy newsprint. Because it's cheap, very strong, and makes a good background for the four-color printing that newspapers typically use, newsprint is the most popular kind of paper for this kind of printing. Newsprint was invented in the mid-1800s, from wood pulp. It comes on rolls that unspool into a printing press. Despite the decline in Western printed newspapers, demand for newsprint continues to grow in much of Asia, especially China.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
As the machine printed their work on newsprint paper, five technicians in uniform quickly flipped through the pages to check the quality.
From Barron's ● Jun. 1, 2026
Gone are the days of flavoring your morning coffee with a bit of ink, accidentally dipping the corner of the newsprint into a mug while thumbing through the pages.
From Salon ● Sep. 5, 2025
The paper mill used to produce newsprint paper employing 530 people in the 1990s.
From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2024
The trucking firms ran on the companies’ refined gasoline, the forestry and shipping interests used the Irvings’ construction subsidiaries, and a chain of newspapers purchased the newsprint from a nearby factory.
From Seattle Times ● May 13, 2024
The sweater was threadbare and stained with newsprint, but it was a tangible link with Betsie.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
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.
