paper trail
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of paper trail
First recorded in 1975–80
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.
She becomes the de facto “keeper” of these letters and more mementos — a “strange gift,” she writes, the paper trail of something that should never have happened.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2026
For one, he doesn’t have the provocative paper trail that Dhillon has.
From Salon ● Apr. 12, 2026
Christie’s specialist Giada Damen, who spent months retracing its paper trail and showing it to Michelangelo experts, said this foot wound up with a Swiss diplomat whose family held onto it for generations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 5, 2026
As your story illustrates, the paper trail should be followed meticulously, particularly if there are notable gaps in the paper trail itself.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 2, 2026
It sounded like Jesse didn’t have much of a paper trail to bring to the admissions committee, however.
From "Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho" by Jon Katz
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
