copypasta

American  

[kop-ee-pah-stuh, kop-ee-pah-stuh] / ˈkɒp iˈpɑ stə, ˈkɒp iˌpɑ stə /

noun

1. a block of digital text that is copied exactly and then posted elsewhere, often with the intention of being humorous or annoying.

   This popular copypasta is a rant containing exaggerated threats that portray the poster as an internet tough guy stereotype.

   If you've got a copypasta of the old thread rules, we might be able to get some new ones going.

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adjective

1. being, relating to, or using blocks of digital text that are copied exactly and then posted elsewhere, especially with the intention of being humorous or annoying.

   You're not a bold crusader, you're an anonymous copypasta troll.

verb (used with object)

1. Facetious. to copy (digital text) and then post it elsewhere.

   I don't know how to post a comment link so I will copypasta two responses I found in the archives.

Etymology

Origin of copypasta

Coined in 2006 by an anonymous user of the website 4chan; copy ( def. ) + paste ( def. ), modeled on pasta ( def. )

Example Sentences

It is far from the first time that social media has been dominated by such "copypasta" - a term meaning a block of text that is "copied and pasted" frequently online.

From BBC • Sep. 25, 2024

It’s also not implausible that you or a loved one may have heard the news directly after receiving a copypasta text like this:

From Slate • Jul. 16, 2024

Momo is what happens when the grown-ups start writing copypasta of their own, about their own biggest fears: what their kids are doing on the internet, and what the internet is doing to their kids.

From New York Times • Mar. 2, 2019

According to the “Jenkem” entry on Encyclopedia Dramatica, the unofficial archive of trolling incidents and images, this particular copypasta appeared on the /b/ board on September 17, 2007.

From Scientific American • May 15, 2015

Creepypasta grew out of "copypasta," chain emails that asked readers to copy and paste the text and pass it on.

From The Verge • Jun. 9, 2014