blotter

American  

[blot-er] / ˈblɒt ər /

noun

1. a piece of blotting paper used to absorb excess ink, to protect a desk top, etc.

2. a book in which transactions or events, as sales or arrests, are recorded as they occur.

   a police blotter.

3. Machinery. a soft washer of blotting paper or felt for cushioning a brittle object against shock or pressure or for increasing the friction or contact area between two surfaces.

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blotter British  

/ ˈblɒtə /

noun

1. something used to absorb excess ink or other liquid, esp a sheet of blotting paper with a firm backing

2. a daily record of events, such as arrests, in a police station (esp in the phrase police blotter )

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Etymology

Origin of blotter

1585–95; 1887 blotter for def. 2; blot ¹ + -er ¹

Example Sentences

He grew up in Latrobe, Penn., and got his start in journalism writing the police blotter for his local paper.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 21, 2026

This arrangement—the “four-way”—would recur throughout the history of blotter.

From Slate • Apr. 17, 2024

A woman in her 40s driving northbound on Elliott Avenue West hit the man in the 600 block of the road before 6 p.m., police said in an online blotter post.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 12, 2024

Last week, that desk — a vintage Monteverdi Young piece from 1963 with an 11-foot back credenza and built-in ink blotter — was buried under bills and bright yellow sticky notes.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 3, 2024

He seemed unfamiliar with the things on the table surface—the blotter with his filled-in “o”s, the ashtray with his cigar end in it—and he turned around and looked at Franny again.

From "Franny and Zooey" by J. D. Salinger

Related Words

• binder
• diary
• journal
• pad