blotter
Americannoun
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a piece of blotting paper used to absorb excess ink, to protect a desk top, etc.
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a book in which transactions or events, as sales or arrests, are recorded as they occur.
a police blotter.
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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.
noun
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something used to absorb excess ink or other liquid, esp a sheet of blotting paper with a firm backing
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a daily record of events, such as arrests, in a police station (esp in the phrase police blotter )
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.
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
Officers arrested the teens, a 15-year-old boy and 13-year-old girl, Thursday in Snohomish County, according to the Police Department’s online blotter.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 2, 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
Heather paints her nails on her desk blotter and blathers.
From "Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
