copy
Americannoun
-
copies
plural
-
an imitation, reproduction, or transcript of an original.
a copy of a famous painting.
-
one of the various examples or specimens of the same book, engraving, or the like.
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written matter intended to be reproduced in printed form.
The editor sent the copy for the next issue to the printer.
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the text of a news story, advertisement, television commercial, etc., as distinguished from related visual material.
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the newsworthiness of a person, thing, or event (often preceded by good orbad ).
The president is always good copy.
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Computers. an exact duplicate of a file, program, etc..
Keep a backup copy of the document.
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Genetics. replication.
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Printing. pictures and artwork prepared for reproduction.
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British Informal. (in schools) a composition; a written assignment.
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British. a size of drawing or writing paper, 16 × 20 inches (40 × 50 centimeters).
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Archaic. something that is to be reproduced; an example or pattern, as of penmanship to be copied by a pupil.
verb (used with object)
-
copies,
present (3rd person singular)
-
copied,
past participle, past
-
copying
present participle
-
to make a copy of; transcribe; reproduce.
to copy a set of figures from a book.
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to receive and understand (a radio message or its sender).
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to follow as a pattern or model; imitate.
- Antonyms:
- originate
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Computers. to make an exact duplicate of (a file, selected text, etc.) and store in another location or in temporary memory.
Can I copy the program to another computer? Copy the selected paragraph to the clipboard.
verb (used without object)
-
copies,
present (3rd person singular)
-
copied,
past participle, past
-
copying
present participle
-
to make a copy or copies.
-
to undergo copying.
It copied poorly.
I can't install the program—one file won't copy.
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to hear or receive a radio message, as over a CB radio.
Do you copy?
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Newfoundland. Also to leap from one ice pan to another across open water.
idioms
noun
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an imitation or reproduction of an original
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a single specimen of something that occurs in a multiple edition, such as a book, article, etc
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matter to be reproduced in print
-
written matter or text as distinct from graphic material in books, newspapers, etc
-
-
the words used to present a promotional message in an advertisement
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informal journalism suitable material for an article or story
disasters are always good copy
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archaic a model to be copied, esp an example of penmanship
verb
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to make a copy or reproduction of (an original)
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(tr) to imitate as a model
-
(intr) to imitate unfairly
Synonym Usage
See imitate.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
copysimple
-
copiessimple
-
have copiedperfect
-
has copiedperfect
-
am copyingprogressive
-
are copyingprogressive
-
is copyingprogressive
-
have been copyingperfect progressive
-
has been copyingperfect progressive
Past
-
copiedsimple
-
had copiedperfect
-
was copyingprogressive
-
were copyingprogressive
-
had been copyingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of copy
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English copie (from Anglo-French ) from Medieval Latin cōpia “abundance, something copied,” Latin: “wealth, abundance”; see copious; copy ( def. 18 ) originally a children's game, from the phrase copy the leader
Explanation
A copy is a reproduction of something — it looks identical to the original. You might ask your sister to make a copy of your nephew's adorable painting so you can hang it on your fridge. You can use the word copy in several different ways. Your doctor's office may keep a copy of your insurance card on file, and they may copy it again every year. This verb form of copy means "to replicate or reproduce." You can also copy down what your teacher says in class — in this case, you're not making an identical copy, but writing the basic ideas. The Medieval Latin root, copia, "reproduction or transcript," comes from the Latin word copia, "plenty."
Vocabulary lists containing copy
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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.
See Examples For:
I’ve been momentarily halted by that title each time I’ve picked up my tattered $5 thrift-store copy over the last few weeks.
From Salon ● Nov. 1, 2026
Confirming that it had referred itself to the IPOC, the Metropolitan Police said it was aware of media reports that it had try to obtain a copy of the letter.
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
The company behind the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders is seeking a court order to stop My Chemical Romance from using dancers in costumes it says copy the squad’s signature uniform.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026
You can even make a copy for personal use, but officially owning one on the blockchain will cost you.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026
Pili had bought the copy with her own money at a yard sale.
From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova
The books themselves have not been banned, and copies already held by British retailers can remain on sale.
From Barron's ● Nov. 2, 2026
Although this sacrifice kills the individual cell, it prevents the virus from producing more copies and infecting nearby bacteria, helping protect the larger colony.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 31, 2026
If you forgot the hard copies, you can find the code online.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026
Friends Katie Mccabrey and Amy Savage were among those who went along to try and get one of the first copies when the embargo broke.
From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026
“There were only a thousand copies printed and then the publisher burned down. My auntie tells me that’s why they’re so special.”
From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova
Apollo started out as a private-equity fund manager, then launched credit funds that traded public debt before using its internal insurer Athene to turbocharge its private-credit operations, a strategy that many competitors have since copied.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026
Anthropic stored Elvis’ songs “into a permanent, general-purpose central library intended to be retained indefinitely, from which subsets were selected and copied again to train the next generation of Claude models,” the lawsuit contends.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 25, 2026
These real-money portfolios — tracked via public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, disclosures and linked accounts — can be copied for a $9.99 monthly subscription fee.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026
He then sent the copied images back to his personal device before deleting them from his work phone.
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026
“Here, I copied down a bunch of the ridiculous talking points from the NRA website last night at home. You can copy them into your notebook unless you already have them memorized.”
From "The Benefits of Being an Octopus" by Ann Braden
Small artificial intelligence models may be only months away from being able to behave like a computer worm, copying themselves from one internet-connected gadget to the next without human help, AI giant Anthropic said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026
But in the 1800s, no one could make a YouTube video accusing another creator of copying their slipper pattern, or debate English vs.
From Slate ● Oct. 11, 2026
They adopted high-tech growing techniques similar to Driscoll’s, even allegedly copying greenhouse designs used by farmers growing for Driscoll’s.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
“We can’t just unplug it because it could be copying itself over to other computers,” he told CBS News.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
But Matt is copying stuff down into his notebook like a madman, so I pick an FAQ at random and just start copying its answer down.
From "The Benefits of Being an Octopus" by Ann Braden
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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.
