Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

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.


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 )

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of blotter

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

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.

An update to SPD Blotter was posted Wednesday with photos of the alleged suspects.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 7, 2023

Those who prefer a desktop blotter calendar might like Paper Source’s large, grid-format Botanical Blotter with lots of writing room in each block.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 22, 2021

The Seattle Times originally reported Thursday about the case, after Seattle police posted an item about the incident on the department’s online Blotter.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 22, 2018

I really admired “The Best Police Blotter in America—Revisited,” in which Leon Neyfakh reconsidered his praise, just a few days earlier, of the Point Reyes Light’s police blotter.

From Slate • Jun. 5, 2015

"Roger cut a slip ten inches long and four inches wide" Corner for Blotter Pad "Where's this professor of leather?" called Tom as he heard Roger's steps on the attic stairs.

From Ethel Morton and the Christmas Ship by Smith, Mabell S. C. (Mabell Shippie Clarke)

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Look it up. Learn it forever.

Remember "blotter" for good with VocabTrainer. Expand your vocabulary effortlessly with personalized learning tools that adapt to your goals.

Take me to Vocabulary.com